The Cafe Of Double Lives
by kuroNshiro
Summary: Lovino takes on a dare to dress up as a waitress for a month. While working, he meets Antonio who becomes his regular customer and soon starts fancying Lovino. SpaMano, FrUk, PruCan, RoChu, GiriKey and NethPol. AU Hetalia written by Kokoxchan & me
1. Chapter 1

_notes from Kokoxchan_: It's great to collaborate with kuroNshiro here! I'm a newbie at fanfics, but I'll try my best! I hope that this first chapter will give off a good impression. It would be nice if you could give us constructive criticism & reviews! Warning, this is boy love, if you don't like it, don't read it.

_notes from kuroNshiro_: I never thought that I'd be writing a third fanfiction so soon, but out of the blue, Kokoxchan contacted me for a collaboration. She came up with not one, not two, but four great ideas for the Lovino/Antonio pairing. I found her second idea the most tempting [on that day, I came to the realization that I like cross-dressing stories ^0^]. Anywaz, I hope you'll enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed collaborating with her.

_Summary_:

An arts major, Lovino takes on a dare to dress up as a waitress at a fantasy cafe for a month. Seeing how much money he made during that time, he decides to indefinitely work as a waitress to pay for rent & his paint supplies. There he meets the senior Antonio who becomes his regular customer. Soon the Spaniard starts fancying him. Reluctant to blow his cover, what will happen to Lovino who is worried that Antonio thinks he is a girl? (betaread by **lilyrose225**)

x

**THE CAFE OF DOUBLE LIVES...**

**Chapter 1**

Lovino Vargas, a tanned Italian brunette with dark-brown eyes, walked towards his dormitory which was next to the 'International College of Fine Arts.' Anyone who wanted to hone their skills in the Arts, Music, Film, Fashion or Drama department could apply here. His twin brother who was lighter-in-complexion, Feliciano, was exceptionally gifted in the arts-field, hence was immediately accepted. Lovino had a harder time, but he too was finally was accepted on scholarship.

Since they weren't rich, both twins worked to pay for the rent and buy their art supplies. However, Lovino lost his job recently, so it was Feliciano who was bringing in the cash. This saddened and irritated Lovino at the same time: he was sad because he felt guilty that he couldn't help his twin financially and he was irritated because his brother was working with someone he loathed.

Because of his love for cats, Feliciano started to work in a pet-store. There, he met a stoic German blond with blue eyes named Ludwig. Apparently, he also went to their college, with his major in the Music-department: he was a gifted violinist. Soon, Ludwig and Feliciano began spending more time with each other which rubbed Lovino the wrong way. '_How can Feliciano hang around with someone who __likes_ _Rottweilers? Those dogs are scary as hell_.'

Lovino, reaching his dormroom, was feeling even more frustrated. '_Damn that Potato Bastard. Because I kept thinking about him and my brother together, I messed up all my interviews. CHIGI!'_

At the end of the hallway, Kiku, a young Japanese man with raven-black hair was trying to console his friend, Feliks, a blond Polish man who was bawling, "Toris is so mean. Just because his girlfriend Natalia transferred to another college doesn't mean that he has to, like, pack up and leave too. What am I going to do now?" He turned to look at Kiku with a pleading expression.

Kiku, realizing what Feliks was trying to ask, shook his head. "Feliks-san, as much as I would like to help you, I can't. I have this new manga that I've to publish, and my editor is breathing down my neck to finish it before the deadline." Then he saw Lovino going to his room. "Maybe your troubles will be solved sooner than you think... Elizabeta-chan and I are having a small 'get-together' to rest for awhile, why don't you join us there later."

He patted his blond friend on the back before he went to meet the grumpy Italian. Knocking on the open door he asked, "Lovino-kun, is everything alright?"

Lovino looked to see who was there and replied, "Yeah, I'm just feeling under the weather. That's all." Kiku stared at the junior for a while before saying, "Why don't you come over to my room, I'm holding a 'get together' with Elizabeta-chan. Maybe that will help lift your spirits up."

Lovino asked "Will there be booze involved?" Kiku nodded. Lovino smirked. "Then count me in."

* * *

The Fantastic Four were in a circle- Lovino was sitting with his back facing the door, Feliks sat next to him, Kiku was infront of Lovino with his back to the wall, while Elizabeta, a petite Hungarian girl with long brown hair, sat next to Kiku. They were all were eating chips while drinking beer & sake.

They shared various gossip they heard over the week til Kiku inquired, "Why don't we play a game of Truth or Dare?" Grabbing some extra chips from the bowl, Feliks replied, "We'll need a bottle for that."

Elizabeta quickly finished the beer that was in her hand, "Here's one... Ok, I'm going to spin it now." After doing so, the bottle pointed in Kiku's direction. "Kiku, choose between Truth or Dare."

Seeing the glint in her eye and knowing how her mind worked, Kiku decided to go with the safer option. "I choose Truth."

Elizabeta smiled at her friend's guarded expression. Although slightly disappointed that she wouldn't see any Boy-on-Boy kissing, she said, "We all know that you're a famous shonen-manga artist but are there any manga titles that you published under a different alias? Please give us some details."

Kiku was silent but finally replied, "Well, since I've to answer truthfully- I'm going to put a new manga title under a different name and this story is about a forbidden love drama between a European man and an Asian man." Kiku thought, '_I've to thank Yao-nii. His interaction with Ivan-san is what gave me the idea._' He then felt someone tightly squeezing his hand.

"You must give me the first copy," Elizabeta said, licking her lips, almost frothing at the mouth. Kiku chuckled slightly and agreed to her demand. Lovino looked at duo and thought they were weird but he wasn't disgusted by that information. '_I guess it's because I've a h*mo for a brother. Yeah, that's the reason, right?... Definitely, right?_'

Seeing that it was his turn now, Kiku spun the bottle which pointed to Lovino. "Lovino-kun, truth or dare?" Lovino thought about it for a while and declared that he wasn't that drunk, so he would choose truth. Kiku, staring at him in the eye, asked, "What is the real reason that you are upset today?"

Lovino would have told Kiku to mind his own business but in the spirit of the game, he decided to answer truthfully. "I got rejected by all the job interviews I applied for. I guess I shouldn't really be upset because they don't pay well. So, I'm more upset at the fact that it's Feliciano who is bringing in the money while working with that Potato Bastard. Happy with my answer?" When Kiku nodded with an understanding smile, Lovino spun the bottle which pointed to Feliks. "So what's it going to be Mr. Senior- Truth or dare?"

Feliks was probably feeling tipsy because he said, "I totally feel a little bold, so I choose dare, Mr. Junior."

Lovino smirked and pointed to the closed door, "Alright, I dare you to kiss the next person who knocks on that door."

Feliks raised his eyebrow. "Like any random person?"

"Yup and don't give any chaste kisses. You should make goo-goo eyes, seductively get up from your seat and French-kiss that person, making sure that we three can see the side-profiles of the both of you." He saw Feliks narrowing his eyes at him, "Hey, it's a dare- it's not supposed to be a walk in the park," all the while thinking, '_I wouldn't be surprised if the girl Feliks kisses, smacks him really hard__- that would probably brighten my crappy day_' and tried hard not to snicker.

On the other hand, it looked like Elizabeta was chanting in a low voice, "_**Please God, make my wish come true.**_"

Feliks stared suspiciously at the two and then thought that he must be drunk because he actually nodded. '_It's not like it will happen. Besides it's the beginning of the weekend, nobody is at the dorms right now._' Unfortunately, luck wasn't on Feliks' side as they all heard a knock on the door.

The person on the other side said, "Kiku, this is Orlando. I was informed that Feliks might be here. Can I come in please?"

The three looked excitedly at Feliks who now was covering his face while Elizabeta, thanking the Lord, nudged at Kiku to say something. Kiku tried to hold back a chortle, "Yes Orlando-san, please come in. Feliks-san is here."

The door opened, and they all saw a tall spiky-haired Dutchman. He greeted the group before setting his eyes on Feliks. "Feliks, could we please step outside? I need to talk to you."

Feliks now put his hands down but was still closing his eyes because he knew the other three were looking at him. He thought, '_Orlando is a friend. So I'm sure he wouldn't, like, get upset... I hope._' With a sigh, he opened his eyes and then in a soft voice he said, "_**I'll make you guys pay for this,**_" while they smirked in response.

He turned to look at his batchmate, '_Ok Lovino said I've to make goo-goo eyes. I'm surprised that he even knows what goo-goo eyes is._' He finally decided to lower his eyelids half-way, giving the best wanton expression he could muster. From the corner of his eye, Feliks saw that the other three approved of that look, '_Let's see, next I'm suppose to get up seductively... Ugh, I'm never going to live this down, am I?_' He then proceeded to slowly lift himself off the floor and sauntered over to where Orlando was standing.

The Polish man prayed that the now-confused-Dutchman wouldn't bash him as he placed his arms on Orlando to slowly turn his batchmate so that their side-profiles would be visible to the three who were watching them with obvious interest. Next, he pulled at Orlando's collar to bring him to face level and slowly put his hands around his neck.

Finally, it looked like Orlando snapped out of his confusion, since he tried to say something which sounded like a 'Wait' or a 'What' but before he could complete it, Feliks kissed him. '_Hmm, this is how weed tastes like... Ok, the stupid Italian said I'm suppose to __French_ _kiss. I can't believe that I'm going to tongue Orlando! Please don't hate me or hurt me._' and slowly began to French-kiss his batchmate. That surely must have sparked something in Orlando because he proceeded to put his arms around Feliks' waist and kissed him back.

When they stopped kissing, Feliks turned to look at the trio to inquire whether they were satisfied with how he performed the dare. However he was surprised to see Kiku holding a notepad with a pencil in his hand, trying to draw the whole scene while Lovino was searching for napkins to give to Elizabeta who looked like she was bleeding the river Danube from her nose. '_Will she be alright?_' he wondered.

He decided to not worry about her, focusing on the one who he was sure must be traumatized by now. Feliks immediately released his hands that was around Orlando. "Sorry for the scare. It was a dare, that's why I did it."

Orlando frowned. "A dare?"

"Yeah, the dare was that I was suppose to, like, kiss the next person who knocked on the door," Feliks then begun to laugh sheepishly. "Hahaha, I guess it was your bad luck that you were that person. Anywaz, no hard feelings, right?" Orlando probably was shocked by everything since he didn't say anything. Feliks, uncomfortable with his batchmate's silence decided to change the topic by asking, "So, why did you want to talk to me earlier?"

Orlando, still in a daze, stated, "A-ah, I was just coming to tell you that the deadline for our paper on the 'Fashion in Europe during the 18th century' was pushed back for another 6 weeks."

Feliks replied, "For realz? That means we can look for more information, right?" Orlando nodded and then proceeded to leave by saying his goodbyes to everyone. Feliks slowly went back to seat and said, "I hope you guys are satisfied with how you helped me scar Orlando. The poor guy is now and will forever be in a permanent state-of-shock."

Kiku –putting the final touches to whatever he was drawing– placed the notepad away from Elizabeta fearing that she might suffer from another nose hemorrhage, "Don't worry, Feliks-san. I know Orlando-san and you are close friends. So, something like this might not affect your friendship. Infact, I think it might make it better."

Feliks was baffled by that reply but before he could ask what Kiku meant by that, Elizabeta, who had completely recovered, interjected, "Let's continue with the game. Spin the bottle, you Casanova, you." Feliks huffed at that nickname, thinking that he must be quite drunk since he still continued with the game by proceeding to spin the bottle which finally pointed to the Hungarian.

Remembering his threat about making them pay, Elizabeta felt she should go with the less riskier option, "I choose Truth, please." However, she couldn't feel at ease because she saw Feliks smirking at her, who said, "At the annual Cake Competition where you won First Place- it wasn't you who baked the Esterhazy-torte. It was baked by your boyfriend Roderich, wasn't it?"

Elizabeta was fidgeting slightly as she felt eyes on her. Glaring at Feliks, she said, "Fine, it wasn't me. I was sick that day and Roderich was sweet enough to bake the cake for me." Next thing she heard were collective gasps and then incessant teasing about how it wasn't good of her to cheat. '_How did he know? Maybe it's because Roderich works for him._' She then declared, "If you tell anyone, I'll make sure that will the last time you open your mouths." The boys stopped their teasing, seeing how she now glowered like a maniac.

She spun the bottle, which pointed back to Feliks. The blond thought, '_What the heck! It's back on me again,_' and when he saw the way Elizabeta was looking at him, he thought, '_Oh my god, there is no way that I'll choose __dare_ _again. She looks positively terrifying._' With a cough, he said, "I choose truth," he then realized maybe it was the worse of the two evils because he heard her cackle as she looked at Lovino for some reason. '_No, she wouldn't, would she?_'

With her voice becoming incredibly sugary, she questioned, "Feliks, are there any secret jobs that you have right now? Like maybe you own a secret cafe that's far away from here?"

Taking a look at Lovino and then looking back at her, Feliks scowled, '_We're __supposed_ _to be pals- how could __she __do this to me? Maybe I deserve it for making her reveal her secret but she knows how I feel about revealing my secret to students here. They just don't understand why I run it the way I do. I was __losing_ _business when I ran it the normal way._'

Lovino, now intrigued, asked, "You own a cafe?"

Feliks nodded while Elizabeta prodded the senior, "Go on, say what kind of a cafe it is."

Feliks threw the evil eye at her, warning, "Elizabeta, if you make me continue, you'll end up losing your job." Elizabeta snorted, completely unfazed by the threat, "Ha, you're in a dire situation. So, you can't fire me."

Feliks sighed because he knew he lost- with one staffer short, he couldn't afford to lose another. Finally he said "Fantazja Wyspy is its name which literally means 'Fantasy Island'- it's the kind of cafe that, like, caters to every man's fantasy." Lovino, now completely curious asked what kind of fantasies. Feliks cleared his throat, "Every week, the waitress wear different costumes: Policewomen-uniforms, Nurse-uniforms, stuff like that."

Lovino was gawking with his eyes bulging. Then he pointed to Feliks, "You're a pervert for opening such a place. And Lizzy, you're a pervert for working there." Elizabeta put her hair behind her back, saying that it helped pay her rent.

* * *

Feliks, feeling offended at being called a pervert, snarled in a sassy tone, "Just give me the damn bottle," and he spun it. He saw it pointed to Lovino but was surprised when he heard Lovino saying he choose dare. Especially after what Lovino put him through- it was such an unwise decision on the junior's part.

Looking at Lovino, Feliks saw that he was severely drunk, '_That's odd, one doesn't get drunk that quickly with so __little_ _beer_,' but then he saw Kiku pouring sake into Lovino's glass. '_Duh, __it's __no wonder he's like this... __Chwileczkę__, maybe I can use this to my advantage._' With a smile, Feliks said, "Alright, I dare you to work as a waitress in my cafe for a month."

Lovino spat his drink out, unable to believe what he just heard. "Wai.. waitress? As in wear dresses in your sissy pervert cafe?"

Feliks's eyebrow twitched when he heard Lovino say that. '_Calm down, I just need him for a month. By then, I'd totally find someone-else... I hope._' He stated, "I'll tell you what, since you mentioned you couldn't get a job, I'll pay for your time."

Hearing that he was going to get paid, Lovino asked how much. When he heard the amount Feliks was willing to pay him, he now started to seriously consider his offer. '_With that amount, I'll be able to contribute for this month's rent__._' He looked Feliks and asked, "What if someone I know recognizes me?"

Ecstatic that Lovino took the bait, Feliks answered, "Relax, you'll be provided with a wig- courtesy of Orlando's sister, Bella, who is an instructor at the beauty school. Besides, my cafe is situated a bit far from here, so the likelihood of meeting someone you know is rare."

Lovino thought for awhile before saying, "Fine, I accept the dare." shaking hands with the senior to complete the deal.

Elizabeta let a tiny squeal out while Kiku observed the men, thinking, '_This is the first time in history that a job interview has been held like this but somehow, it went according to how I planned,_' and continued to pour sake into Lovino's glass, knowing the Italian wouldn't have taken up that dare if he was sober.

x

**A/N:** Introductions-

Ludwig Beilschmidt & Feliciano Vargas - Germany & North Italy/Veneziano

Natalia Arlovskaya Braginski & Toris Laurinaitis - Belarus & Lithuania

Kiku Honda - Japan (though he's a college student in the Arts department, Kiku, under a different alias, is starting to publish yaoi manga. So he's Fudanshi just like Elizabeta who is a Fujioshi)

Roderich Edelstein & Elizabeta Hedervary - Austria & Hungary (Roderich, belonging to the Music department, works part-time as one of the bakers at Feliks' cafe while Elizabeta, although she's in the arts department her specialty is in Photography)

Feliks Lukasiewicz - Poland (he's in Fashion designing, hence he further hones his skills in fashion by designing all the clothes for the waitresses)

Orlando Mogens Lambert - Netherlands (The author mentioned Netherlands having Lolita-complex: here, Orlando is also from Fashion designing who helps Feliks design all the Lolita-costumes etc)

Bella Emma Lambert - Belgium

^_^ The format style is slightly different. Here's a heads-up:

-If the sentence appears normally with double quotations ("Honey"), then the characters are in a conversation.

-If the conversation appears in _Italics_ & **Bold** at the same time with double quotations ("_**smile**_"), that means they are whispering.

-If the sentence appears in _Italics_ with single quotations ('_That's amazing_'), then these are the thoughts of that particular character.

-If the conversation is appearing in _Italics_ with double quotations ("_Privyet_") that indicates the person on the other line of the phone conversation is talking.

-And finally if the paragraph appears in just _Italics_ without any quotations present, then it's describing something that happened in the past

**Disclaimer: We wish but we don't own Axis-Powers-Hetalia or any related characters. They belong to Hidekaz Himaruya**


	2. Chapter 2

**THE CAFE OF DOUBLE LIVES...**

**Chapter 2**

Oh, how Lovino wished that he hadn't drank so much sake yesterday. As soon as his brother started moving around that morning, Lovino screamed, "Keep the F*CKING noise down."

He heard his brother replying, "Ve, I'm sorry but I'm trying to find the new shirt that I wanted to wear for work." The moment Feliciano mentioned 'work,' Lovino remembered something. However his head hurt so much he could recall barely anything from the night before. But as his brother was just about to leave, he heard him saying, "Do you still want more measurements?" That surprised Lovino, who was wondering if his brother was talking to him, until he realized that Feliciano was conversing with someone standing outside their room. He heard Feliciano saying, "Oh, Lovino is in bed, so be sure not to make much noise." Very shortly after, his younger brother completely ignored his own advice and banged on their dormroom door.

Grumbling about how stupid his brother could be, Lovino attempted to look who was standing outside the room, while still laying on the bed. He was a bit surprised to see Feliks and Elizabeta. He knew those two were thick-as-thieves: if you were to look for one, you would find the other. However, seeing them together in his dormroom on a Saturday morning seemed criminal- it wasn't a sight Lovino wished to see. "You guys want something?"

Feliks replied, "Well, duh. I came here on pressing matters and I brought Elizabeta as a precaution." Holding his head in pain with both hands, Lovino asked, "A precaution for what?"

"A precaution for when you accuse me of lying," Lovino wasn't sure of the riddle Feliks put forward until the senior said, "You took up on my offer to work in my cafe as a waitress."

"WHAT?" Lovino screamed, and sat up straight too quickly, giving himself a rushing sensation of blood to his head which hurt even more than just the hangover.

Elizabeta nodded, "It's true. You said, and I quote, 'I accept the dare' and shook hands with Feliks."

Lovino gritted his teeth so hard the duo could hear them cracking. "You aren't making any sense- what dare? I don't remember any of this."

Feliks answered, "I dared you to work as a waitress in my Fantasy café, which you accepted."

The Italian gave him a disgusted look. "As if I would work as a waitress... F*ck, I must have been drunk- I'd agree to any thing in that state. If you were to ask me right now, I would flatly refuse!"

Elizabeta raised an eyebrow. "Really? With no job, you're unable to help Feli financially, and you don't have any other options because you were rejected in each and every one of your job interviews." Lovino was dumbfounded when she said that. '_How the f*ck do they know about that_?'

Lovino growled when he realized what might have happened to bring about that scenario, "You bastards! You made me get drunk on purpose, and then when I was at my most vulnerable state, you pounced on me like a pack-of-wolves!" Throwing the pillow at them, he screamed, "Hell will freeze over before I get into a skirt. Now GET OUT!"

Elizabeta, catching the pillow thrown at them and throwing it back, tsked showing a look a teacher would to her troublesome student. "We didn't intentionally get you drunk. You achieved that on your own." Lovino scowled at her in response.

Feliks took Elizabeta by the hand, and while moving towards the door left a paper on the desk, saying, "Anywaz, in case you change your mind, here are the directions to the café... Just remember: you've very few options. If you refuse this, your conscience will bother you for not being able to help your brother financially," and closed the door before another pillow from Lovino could hit him.

After all the screaming he did, Lovino ran straight to the bathroom and hurled all of his stomach-contents. After he was done puking, Feliks' words echoed in his mind. '_Your conscience will bother you for not being able to help your brother financially_.' He swore for awhile before slowly getting up to wash his face.

Taking a look at the mirror, Lovino recoiled at what the reflection was showing. '_Do I love my fratello enough to even consider this?_' He then sighed and proceeded to refresh himself.

He dressed in a dark-brown tracksuit and took the paper on the desk before locking his dormroom. He didn't have to walk far to get to the bus stop. Feliks had written on the paper that a bus with a specific number would come every half-an-hour and if he were to take it, it would drop him off less than 10 minutes away from the café.

* * *

Soon, Lovino arrived infront of the dreaded café. It looked like a normal enough café with a board on the top saying 'Fantazja Wyspy' in bold green lettering and a picture of an island next to it. Upon entering, a tiny bell rang.

He was surprised to find it empty —but then again, it was still fairly early in the morning— in most cafés, it's brunch time that is the busiest time. Looking around, he noticed the place was quaint with Victorian-style-chairs and tables covered with lace-tablecloths. On the walls, there were exotic, captivating paintings. For a moment, Lovino wondered whether he entered the wrong store on accident, because he had started to remember bits of what happened the previous night and he was sure that statements like 'a sissy pervert cafe' did not equate to a classy charming haven.

However when he saw Feliks near the counter holding a bag in his hand with a victorious smirk on his face, he knew he wasn't mistaken. Going towards him and grabbing the bag, Lovino warned, "Don't you dare say anything."

Feliks just smiled thinking, '_I was about to ask whether hell froze over or not but that will tick him off,_' and so pointed him in the direction of the changing-room instead.

Not going to where Feliks pointed, Lovino went to the restroom fearing that there were girls already in the changing-room. Finally entering the men's restroom, he locked himself in one of the stalls and started rummaging through the contents of the bags: the first thing he pulled out was a long red-haired wig. '_Red has never been my colour, but I guess it'll do._' He then pulled out a dark-blue shirt which had a badge on the right breast pocket. '_Oh, it's a police officer uniform_,' so he wasn't surprised that there was a police baton as well. Imitating little-red-riding-hood and the wolf, Lovino said, "My, what a big baton you have… The better to hit people with, my dear," which immediately made him think, '_Now why does that statement sound kinky?_'

Next thing he pulled out was a black skirt. '_In which parallel universe do police-women wear such short skirts? I was right in branding this cafe as a 'pervert cafe.' Though I want to cry now because I don't have any hair on my legs: otherwise I could have use that an excuse not to wear this __waking__ nightmare._'

The last two items he pulled out were a pair of long black socks and low-kitten-heels. '_Huh? How does Feliks know my shoe size? Or even my measurements for that matter?_' He couldn't dwell on that further as he realized there was one more item that remained in the bag. When he saw what it was, the first thing he wanted to do was BURN it, then BURY it and afterwords put CEMENT over it. '_Feliks is out of his mind if he thinks I'll willingly wear this._' Attached to the piece of clothing was a note which read, 'If you don't wear the padded bra then it will be easy to see that you're a guy and you wouldn't want that discovered by the customers now, would you?'

Cursing inwardly at the day for not going his way, Lovino reluctantly started to change into the costume. As he finished dressing, he heard Feliks' voice. "Lovino, are you in here?"

Lovino opened the stall door, "I f*cking hate you so much right now."

Feliks, eyeing him, gave a shrug, "Come and meet the other waitresses, you'll totally fit into the group." Lovino snorted and followed the senior.

They moved towards the changing-room, and Feliks knocked on the door before entering. Going inside, Lovino saw three girls also in similar uniform: the one nearest to Lovino was tall, with long sandy blond hair and bangs covering her forehead. Next to her was petite girl with the same hair length- reaching her hips. She also had bangs but they were platinum blond, almost white in color. The last girl was as tall as the first one, with inky black hair and a side part, her hair reaching down to her shoulders. They all turned to look at Lovino the minute he entered. He could feel them sizing him up, '_Probably they noticed that I've something they don't._'

He started to panic even more when Feliks said, "Well, all of you introduce yourselves to each other while I go check up on something in the office," leaving Lovino alone and defenseless.

Seeing that their eyes were still on him, Lovino fretted slightly before he could gather some courage to say something making his voice as feminine as possible. "Hi, my name is Lovin..." He trailed off, thinking quickly. '_F*ck, with everything that's going on, I forgot one important detail._' Trying to brainstorm a good name, all he could think of was "na... My name is Lovina. I hope we can get along."

Instead of hearing, 'Sure, let's be friends,' all he heard was disappointed sigh from the sandy-haired blond who responded in posh manner, "That's one of the worst totty accents I've ever heard." The one with white hair replied in a tone full of wisdom, "I agree, aru. This one will need your voice-lessons to sound more womanly." At the same time, the meek one with black hair said, "I'm sorry but that wig doesn't flatter you. Maybe, I can give you a hairstyle like mine to frame your face better, eh?"

Lovino stepped back from the trio. "What the hell is going on? How do you know that I'm wearing a wig?" Again the sandy-haired blond sighed and stated, "I see, Feliks decided to leave that 'fun' info out." Before Lovino could ask what they meant, he become shocked with what he saw next. Feliks was in his office when he heard Lovino screaming, "WHAT THE F*CK?"

Hearing how the Italian shouted, Feliks thought the other three had lifted their skirts to bring on such a reaction from Lovino but when he came to the dressing-room, all he saw was the trio had removed their wigs: Arthur, an absinthe-eyed British blond junior but in the music field, was holding his blond wig. Yao, an ebony-haired Chinese man with golden-colored eyes, who was his batchmate but an Arts major, was holding the white wig while Matthew a violet-eyed blond, who was tending to Lovino's red wig on a mannequin's head piece, was a student of the Beauty School.

Lovino turned to look at Feliks, "I'm not trying to be funny, even though we are in police uniforms, you should be locked up for something this unlawful: why are these guys waitresses as well?"

Feliks, pinching the bridge of his nose, answered, "As much as I hate to admit it, most of the customers who come here are pervs. I hated the fact that the girls would get felt up so, I decided the waitresses will be boys instead without the knowledge of the customers." Lovino rebutted, "If you're so chivalrous, then how come you have Lizzy as one of the waitresses?"

Before Feliks could give his answer, they all heard a loud **CLONCK**. Feliks smiled, "That is the sound of Lizzy using her pan instead of the baton to hit one of the customers who tried to get touchy-feely. She can look after herself which is why I kept her."

Lovino, still confused, asked Feliks if he was worried about perverts showing up in his café then why wouldn't he just run it the normal way. Feliks replied, "I was, like, losing business. Besides, with me designing your costumes, I totally get to practice my fashion skills: it's a win-win situation for everyone."

The Italian frowned, '_Not for the guys who are getting felt up,_' but he had to admit since they had slender body-frames, the other three could easily pass off as girls. '_Aspetta! __Does this mean Feliks thinks I've a slender body-frame like a girl?_' his question was answered as soon as he caught his reflection in a nearby mirror- even without a wig on, wearing the whole outfit with the small padded bra underneath, he could easily pass off as girl. '_How embarrassing._'

He heard the Polish senior declaring, "So, from now onwards, you, Lovino, just like the other three guys will be leading a double life- not letting others know who you really are unless you want to be taunted and made fun of."

* * *

"Oh Feliks, you managed to find another Tranny to add to this group," a Turkish voice teased. With that remark, he got the police batons thrown at him. "Aman Allahim, I was just kidding." Lovino saw a tall, fair-skinned, curly black-haired man with amber-coloured eyes who extended his hand to shake. "Greetings newbie, Adnan is my name. And you are?"

Lovino shook his hand noting that Adnan was wearing a normal shirt and jeans with an apron on, stated in a wary tone, "My name is Lovino... How come you aren't in costume?"

The Turk replied, "I'm one of the bakers and since I don't meet costumers, I don't have to wear one."

Lovino, thinking that this guy was a lucky-son-of-a-b*tch, said, "I have the stinking feeling I've seen you somewhere."

Adnan chided, "I would've said that was a lovely pickup line but I'm guessing you must have seen me at one of the drama-plays."

Lovino snapped his fingers. "Yeah, you performed as the Phantom in 'The Phantom of the Opera'... Hold on, you just mentioned you were one of the bakers. Feliks, how many are there?"

Feliks answered, "I've three bakers but they all, like, don't come on the same day- they switch from time to time. I'm sure you already know one of the bakers who is the main one: Roderich. He isn't here right now since it's his day-off. The other baker who also specializes in making the drinks like lattes, beverages, shakes etc is Adnan's roommate who is also from the Drama-Department. You might have seen him when their department did an all-stage-production of Troy. Usually he's nicknamed the Greek God but his real name is Heracles."

"You called?" Everyone turned to see a shirtless jade-eyed brunette with eight-pack abs wearing low cut jeans yawning lazily. As he stretched himself, they all saw his perfect muscles glisten a little which showed the tell-tell sign that he was recently tanning.

Feliks asked, "Heracles, have you been sunbathing on the roof again?" Heracles replied in a nonchalant voice, "One of the many perks I enjoy being employed here. That was what we agreed on, right?"

The Polish senior nodded, saying, "I ain't complaining, I was just remarking, that's all." Feliks really couldn't complain: everytime he saw that V-shaped body of Heracles, his speech always faltered. He knew he wasn't the only one who felt that- he turned to see the others also giving the Greek a once over. '_Everyone at College is like totally enamored by him except Adnan who seems to be infatuated by a-not-so-single-Lizzy to notice God's masterpiece. Maybe it's a good thing that they are roommates. God __only __knows what would have happened to Heracles if other predators had roomed with him._'

Heracles gave his greetings to the latest addition to the group and decided to leave to refresh himself with Adnan following him, saying, "I've been waiting for your lazy-ass to show up forever. I'm still new at this: I need your assistance, so don't take your time. Oie, are you even listening to me?"

Lovino thought, '_It's a crime to look that good... Eeek, what is with me making any and every reference to the law? It's this costume- I know it's affecting me!_' He couldn't complete his internal diatribe as Matthew, in his black wig, who was now done with the final touches to the red wig, brought it to Lovino and tried to arrange it properly on his head. When it was set, Matthew was satisfied. "There you go. I knew my wig hairstyle, which is a bob-haircut, would frame your face better." When he showed it to the other boys who had also put their wigs back on they agreed as well.

Matthew took a marker and wrote something on Lovino's police badge. "It's your cafe name- you said Lovina, right? That what your costumers will call you when they talk to you. We all have cafe names apart from Elizabeta who, of course is just lovingly referred to as Lizzy."

The Italian, taking a look at the others badges saw that their names were different from the names that they introduced themselves with- Arthur was Aretha, Yao was YanYan and Matthew was Matilda, '_Is it too late to tell them that I want to change my cafe name? Argh, never mind. From __now__ onwards, I'm Lovina. What joy,_' Lovino sarcastically thought.

x

**A/N:** Though there are many characters present, this story is mainly Lovino-centric but not to worry, Antonio will be appearing soon... Introducing the key players:

Arthur Kirkland - England (Arthur is a singer/dancer in the music field & gives the other 'waitresses' voice-lessons so that they can sound more womanly)

Yao Wong - China (in the series, he drew an incredibly beautiful picture of himself, so Yao being in the Arts made sense. He's a couple of years senior to Lovino, so they have interacted before)

Matthew William Jones - Canada (Matthew is a young hair-stylist under the supervision of Bella who is his instructor at the Beauty school)

Heracles Karpusi - Greece (the resident Greek god belongs to the Drama-field. Here in this story, he also has a love for baking hence he agreed to work as one of the bakers on the condition that Feliks lets him sunbathe even during working hours)

Adnan Sadiq - Turkey (since he's always in a mask in the manga, him acting in the Phantom of the Opera or anything theatrical made sense, so he also belongs to the Drama-Field. Being one of the newly admitted bakers, Roderich puts him in charge of making various kinds of pudding like asure, mousse, flan etc as well as kitchen duty since he's still a newbie)

_We send our love & thanks to all the readers who reviewed us and to the others who put us on their story alerts & favourite lists_


	3. Chapter 3

**THE CAFE OF DOUBLE LIVES...**

**Chapter 3**

After two weeks, instead of staying at the cafe for a month like the dare required, Lovino –seeing how much money he made in tips alone– decided to indefinitely work as a waitress to pay for his rent and his art supplies.

The above decision meant more work for Arthur because he was in charge of the task of transforming Lovino into Lovina which was tough— when the Italian tried to make his voice high-pitched, it came off too screechy; he couldn't walk daintily and it didn't help that Lovino's temper fuse was just as short as Arthur's, so they regularly got into tiffs. Throughout the process, Arthur kept thinking, '_This is like a bad version of Pygmalion_.' However, in time they slowly became friends because Arthur respected the fact that though Lovino failed half the time, he atleast tried his best and never gave up.

And whenever they needed a time-out from their sessions, Arthur would teach him a few dance steps to loosen the Italian: since Lovino was an extremely slow learner they always took things in baby steps. In time, he was learning many different kinds of dance steps from Arthur which the others thought was out-of-place but figured it was the one thing that Arthur and Lovino had found to bond over.

One day, as Arthur is a creature-of-habit and always punctual, he arrived early at the cafe. After getting dressed in his costume (which for this week was a pink-coloured nurse outfit) Arthur arranged his long blond wig and looked around to see if the others had arrived. He was the only "waitress" there which worried him— after noting who had entered the cafe next; the 'Bad-Touch-Trio.' They were infamous on campus.

The troublemaker of the group was a silver-haired, crimson-eyed German named Gilbert, who was studying in the music field. He was a good friend of Arthur's eversince their first year of college. The darling of the group, a green-eyed Spanish brunette named Antonio, was known for his acting and warm joyous nature. There were times when he would exaggerate his emotions, a perfect fit for his field of study in drama. These two didn't perplex him since they weren't common-sense-smart but it was the third one that made Arthur anxious: the Lothario of the group, a blue-eyed blond Parisian named Francis, a budding fashion designer, who was cunning. He knew Francis all too well. They had gone out for a time.

Whenever Arthur looked at Francis he knew there were good memories of happy times, but unfortunately he only could remember the ones that hurt… -

_Arthur wanted that Valentine's day night to go perfectly. He arranged the whole room to look romantic: a candlelit_ _dinner in the middle of the living room with rose_ _petals on the floor and opera music playing in the background. Arthur had even cooked Francis'_ _favourite meal "Duck a l'Orange." Yet on that day, Arthur felt everything except amorous._

_Throwing an expensive bottle of Merlot at Francis, Arthur_ _was livid with fury. "You are cheating on me, aren't you?"_

_The Parisian moved just in time to avoid getting hit, "Mon amour, I've no clue what you are talking about."_

_Arthur's absinthe-colored eyes glared at Francis' hpnotiq-colored eyes, "Bollocks! You're shagging Michelle. You're_ _getting back together with her right under my nose."_

_Francis shook his head, trying to look sincere. "She's dating someone else... Arthur, you're the only one for me."_

_"Liar! Don't lie to me! You always had the audacity to boldly flirt with others right infront_ _me so it's no surprise why your little hook-up is happening." Arthur hissed while throwing Francis' Louis Vuitton suitcase with all his things in it at the Parisian._ _"I want you out of my flat." Francis had_ _an incredibly hurt look with his eyes, tears pouring out, pleading because_ _it was Valentine's Day_ _but Arthur shouted over him._ _"I DON'T FREAKIN CARE. I want you out of my flat and out of my life."_

_When_ _Francis left, the bell on Arthur's stove rang. Taking the contents out of the oven, Arthur tasted it: on_ _his fifth_ _try, he finally got the "Duck a l'Orange" right and it was heavenly. But soon he_ _started crying because he had no-one to share it with. _

_Though Arthur wanted Francis out of his life that soon became impossible-_ _Francis and his gang appeared at the café weeks later after Arthur started working there. In the beginning Francis didn't take any notice of Arthur -as Aretha, of course- because he tried not to make eye-contact with the group whenever he was in that disguise. But it all changed one day when Francis remarked what gorgeous eyes "she"_ _had. His heart hurt when he heard the Parisian say that because he remembered_ _Francis once telling him that he had never taken_ _notice of anyone-else's eyes besides_ _his. He thought, after that day in the café,it_ _was a pick-up-line Francis used_ _on everyone._

_Since that day, the Parisian would try to converse with him as much as possible, even trying_ _to cop a feel every-once-in-awhile, which upset Arthur even more because with Francis thinking he was Aretha, it became painfully clear to the Brit that Francis had_ _moved on while he was_ _still stuck._

* * *

Trying to see if anyone-else had arrived, Arthur saw Lovino was there and having a hard time getting into the skirt. Feliks was attempting to help him. "Feliks, why the hell did you make the skirt this way?" Feliks answered saying it was a hobble-skirt and was considered fashionable. Lovino groaned in exasperation, "How can it be fashionable when you can't even get into it?"

"What do you mean you can't get into it? Arthur totally did." Noticing him, Feliks found it odd that he was still standing there. "Arthur, Gilbert and the others arrived awhile back. Go see what orders they would like."

Lovino froze. "Aspetta, I know a Gilbert. He's that Potato bastard's brother and he's from our college- I thought you said the likelihood of meeting someone I know is rare here!"

Feliks responded, "I said it was rare but I didn't say it wouldn't happen." Lovino threw a hard glare at Feliks who then raised his hands in surrender saying, "Look, Gilbert's cousin is Roderich, so of course he knows about this place through his family." Lovino gave him a suspecting look before trying again to get into the skirt.

Arthur, wanting to get out of meeting the trio, offered, "Feliks, why don't you go see what those dolts want while I help Lovino with his skirt?"

However, Feliks snapped back, "You're the waitress here, go do your job." The Brit let out a sound of dissatisfaction before leaving the room.

Having his small notepad in his hand, Arthur walked towards the trio but because he was upset, he temporarily forgot he was in a hobble-skirt which was tight around the knees. As soon as he was close enough to them, instead of taking short, calculated steps Arthur tried to walk in quick strides so as to finish his task quickly- which proved fatal for him when his leg jerked in the skirt due to the constriction and his feet become entangled: he went down like timber.

Positive that he was going to hit the floor hard, Arthur closed his eyes and put his hands out for support. He was bewildered to find himself in a strong embrace instead. Opening his eyes, he saw Francis standing infront of him, holding him. Faltering slightly as he took in Francis' scent of fresh lilies, Arthur fell more into Francis' embrace.

He chuckled, "Ma cherié, that was a close one. Are you alright?" Arthur nodded, unable to push the boy away. Francis, noticing Arthur's vulnerable state decided to do the unthinkable by lifting Arthur into his arms, placing him on his lap when he reached his seat. "Why don't you take our orders? We're very thirsty."

Still under shock at what was happening, Arthur just nodded while Antonio and Gilbert snickered before giving their orders. Arthur turned to Francis and asked what he would like. The Parisian replied, "Well, Mademoiselle Aretha, I would like to have a latte and something-else as well, s'il vous plaît." He wiggled his eyebrows as he brought his face close to Arthur's. This brought Arthur brought back to reality, and he slapped Francis' face as it was too close and quickly stood up.

"What the hell, you sodding prick?" Arthur yelled trying not to sound mannish but he was so angry at that moment that it was hard for him to maintain it.

Francis rubbing his face in comfort after being smacked. "I was just under the impression that since you sat on my lap, it was alright."

Arthur fumed at that response. "You took advantage of my confused state-of-mind. I thank you for saving me earlier but doesn't mean you can have your way with me." With that, he started to leave. Turning his back, he heard Francis say that he wanted more to order but Arthur screamed over his shoulder, "You're only getting a bloody LATTE!"

As he walked towards the kitchen, he saw Feliks looking at him. "Not now. You can lecture me later for not taking Francis' extra order," and stomped inside the kitchen. A few minutes later, he came out with a tray of drinks. When he saw Lovino was now in the nurse costume standing there as well, the Brit said, "Here, give those oafs their orders because I can't do it," and went back towards the kitchen with Feliks following him.

* * *

Lovino scowled because he wasn't in any mood to meet people who were from his college. '_Why are they here so early in the day_?' Remembering what Arthur had taught him, the brunette took little steps towards the customers instead of walking with his normal strides. After Lovino reached their table and began placing their orders down on the table, he saw Francis looking disappointed.

"Where is Mademoiselle Aretha?" he inquired, craning his neck to look towards the kitchen.

Lovino replied in a haughty feminine manner, "She got tired of your grubby hands, you pervert."

Francis pouted, mumbling that "this waitress is no fun" but Antonio, who had a warm smile, said, "Francis, comportate. Besides Lovina here is cute too."

A red hue formed on his face as soon as he heard those comments. With his voice cracking slightly, Lovino huffed, "Who the hell are you calling cute, you bastard?" Antonio then flashed an even more beautiful smile, saying, "I'm calling you cute. With that red hair and blush, you look exactly like a tomato: it's incredibly cute."

Whatever restraint Lovino had snapped and he punched Antonio square in the face. The other two guys gasped and looked absolutely stunned as Lovino left- sure, they didn't mind a slap or two on the face but they couldn't believe that this waitress had just slugged their friend. Both of them felt that it was uncalled for. When Feliks came out to see what happened, Gilbert complained, "Feliks, your girl just punched my buddy which was totally not awesome."

Feliks however looked as if he wasn't bothered in the least, replying in a sassy tone, "Duh, you hit on my waitresses, you GET HIT. That's always been the store-policy here. If you don't like it, you're free to leave."

Gilbert was about to say something but Antonio stopped him, "It's alright, Gil. Estoy bien... That redhead is an interesting one."

Lovino tried to get through the rest of the day dressed in the hobble-skirt. Thankfully, there weren't that many customers and with Yao, Matthew and Elizabeta present the work was evenly distributed. But the one thing that did bother him was that the guy who he had punched earlier decided to root himself in his seat- even after his friends left, he remained seated, working on his various college projects. He did order a snack or a drink every half an hour but it still was unsettling, especially when it was now almost closing time.

The Italian went towards Antonio and banged his tray on the table which scared the daylights of the Spaniard. Again remembering Arthur's voice lessons, Lovino spoke in a higher tone of voice, "How long do you intend to stay here, you bastard? It's closing-time. So leave." Antonio replied, that he would leave only if the Italian would have dinner with him to which Lovino scoffed, "Why the f*ck would I have dinner with you?"

Antonio smiled, "Because you owe me." Lovino raised his eyebrow and asked for what. The Spaniard stared into his eyes and answered in a serious but jovial tone, "For punching me. If you refuse, I'll have you arrested for assault- I've a bruise on my face and since I've witnesses, the chances of you going to prison is high. To avoid that, have dinner with me tonight so that we can get to know each other and not be strangers anym—"

Lovino banged the tray again on the table. "You f*cking bastard," he yelled, and walked towards the kitchen where the rest of the gang was present.

Back in the kitchen, the workers huddled in a circle, like most players would do before a major game, as Feliks inquired, "So, what does he want?" Lovino replied that Antonio was blackmailing him. Matthew asked worriedly, "Eh? Blackmailing? For what?"

Lovino rubbed his temples with his fingers, unable to believe his behavior in the afternoon was now biting him in the ass. "I punched him in the afternoon and now he's saying that if I don't have dinner with him tonight, he'll charge me for assault."

Yao stroking his chin while staring at Arthur. "I see, years of being friends with Francis has finally rubbed off on him, aru."

Arthur shook his head, and while trying not to frighten Lovino, replied, "Gil mentioned Antonio is as stubborn as they come- he won't send you to jail because he's a genuinely nice guy but he'll follow you until you give in."

Lovino countered, "So, you're telling me that I've no choice but to go?" They all nodded. The Italian then replied, "But he wants Lovina to have dinner with him. Not Lovino. I don't have any appropriate clothes to change into."

Elizabeta interjected, "I've got that covered. I picked up a few clothes from the dry-cleaners on the way here. I'm sure I'll have something that will suit you." All the boys in the room thought, '_She just wants to play dress up. She treats_ _us guys like dolls._'

In the end, Elizabeta dressed Lovino in a snugly fitting crème-coloured cut-off shoulder top with a long beige bohemian-skirt which had big tan floral patterns at the edges. The boys had to admit she did a great job styling the Italian. Lovino, on the other hand, was less than pleased. '_Who the hell would look happy being in a skirt_?' Before he left, the boys begged him not to blow their cover and try to be as feminine as possible. '_Oh God, that's not the sort of advice that boys normally get. What is my world coming to?_'

Finally, while carrying his backpack he went up to the Spaniard who looked extremely surprised. Lovino huffed, "I'll only agree to this if you're paying."

Antonio grinned in response, "I'll have it no other way," and picked up his things, following the Italian out of the cafe.

* * *

While they walking, Lovino asked, "Why the f*ck do you look so surprised?" Antonio, slightly covering his mouth, replied, "Lo siento. It's just that I never expected you to agree."

Lovino looked at him with a disbelieving expression. "You blackmailed me, what was I supposed to do?" Antonio asked whether the Italian actually thought that he was capable of such a thing. Lovino replied with a shrug, "Well, they always say 'beware of the nice ones,' don't they?"

Antonio gave him a million-dollar-smile. "Oh, so you think I'm nice?"

Lovino huffed. "Oie, don't take only part of the comment. I also said 'beware' which leads to scary."

The Spaniard then playfully teased, "Yet, here you are going to have dinner with someone scary." Lovino, getting tired of being led around responded by asking whether Antonio wanted him to leave since he would gladly do so, to which Antonio shook his head, "No, I wouldn't want someone as pretty as you to leave me now. That's also one of the reasons why I was shocked in the beginning- to see you dressed like this. This style becomes you."

Lovino blushed and to prevent himself from turning even more red tried to change the topic by asking where they were going to go for dinner. Antonio answered, "There's a nice Italian restaurant around the corner. I'm sure you will enjoy it."

They soon entered the restaurant which Antonio spoke of and he was right, Lovino did enjoy it: their pasta was exactly how he liked it and the sauce was to die for. Of course, Lovino hogged on their salad bowl eating as many of the tomatoes as possible- then pausing for awhile, he remembered girls don't usually eat much on a first date. Immediately when the words 'first' and 'date' came out, Lovino grimaced. '_OHF*CKINGHELL, I can't believe I even had such a thought. What am I doing trying to do, impress this idiot? Eat to your heart's content and deplete his wallet size_!'

Lovino did exactly what he ordered himself to do, however, Antonio was pleased with what he saw. "I'm glad that you don't follow the normal conventional rules seen on dates."

'That's because this is NOT a date' was what Lovino wanted to shout but instead chose to chew on a tomato, looking around at the Italian restaurant thinking, '_Instead of it being 'Lady and the Tramp,' it's more like 'Lamebrain and the Tranny'... Seriously, I would have never imagined this a_ _year ago_.'

While drinking a sip of wine, curiosity got better of Lovino and he asked, "So, was Gilbert the one who introduced the cafe to you and Francis?"

Antonio, a little surprised that the Italian initiated a conversation, replied, "Actually, both Francis and I are related to someone who works there." With his interest more piqued, Lovino waited for Antonio to continue. "I'm sure you're aware that Feliks isn't the only one designing the clothes, right?" Lovino nodded, saying that Orlando designed some of their costumes. Antonio declared, "Orlando and Bella are my cousins on their father's side while they are Francis' cousins on their mother's side. This makes Francis and myself related to each other but only on paper"

Taking a sip of water, he continued, "I'm much closer to Bella than Orlando. When she told me that something recently caught Orlando's interest, I was curious to know what it was because he's usually impassive and doesn't seem interested in many things. Around that time, both Francis & Gilbert also found out about the cafe, so we went together to check it out. We were atfirst surprised, but we grew to like it. The clothes you all wear are stunning even when short, not trashy at all- Feliks has a particular style which must have fascinated Orlando enough to break out of his shell which I find most interesting."

When Antonio mentioned this, Lovino remembered times whenever Feliks and Orlando encountered each other: the aura between both of them changed, and Lovino couldn't seem to forget what happened the day with the dare. '_Did I imagine it by any chance_?'

Before he could ponder those events any further, Antonio asked, "So, why did you choose to work there?" Lovino wanted to lie but for some reason, his lips wouldn't stop moving, revealing the reasons why he decided to do it. Antonio replied, "That's nice that you want to help your brother financially as well. It shows how responsible and kind-heartened you are," and he smiled sincerely at the Italian.

Lovino thought about how easy it was to chat with Antonio and begun to get a warm fuzzy feeling which didn't disappear even after they said their goodbyes. While he was in the taxi by himself, all he kept thinking was, '_It's the wine, it's definitely the wine giving me this_ _warm feeling._'

x

**A/N: **Introductions-

Antonio Fernandez - Spain (Belonging to the drama department, he's a happy-go-lucky-puppy-kind of person but is stubborn)

Francis Bonnefoy - France (Since he's known to be the most fashionable amongst countries, it made sense to make him be a fashion designer)

Gilbert Beilschmidt - Prussia (a bass-guitar player/singer)

Michelle Fontaine - Seychelles


	4. Chapter 4

**THE CAFE OF DOUBLE LIVES...**

**Chapter 4  
**

Matthew, the violet-eyed hairstylist, was in the hair-salon which was run by Bella, his instructor at the beauty school. Though he was only a beginner, she was impressed with his talent. But she knew he was a shy person, so she offered something like an internship to him at her store: in this way, he would gain more experience while interacting with more people, so he could get over his timidness.

Since it was his turn this week to do the morning shift, he was getting ready to open the shop, remembering the time he first was here -

_Unable to get rid a feeling of nervousness even after working at the hair-salon for awhile, Matthew had a craving for pancakes because that was the one thing which helped reduce his stress. So, when he was given a break, he went to see to the cafe Bella had been raving about which was run by someone named Feliks who had the ingenious idea to dress the waitresses in various fashionable dresses every week. He had seen Feliks once coming over for a haircut and then asking for a couple of wigs which Matthew found odd but didn't dwell on it._

_After five minutes, Matthew spotted that cafe called Fantazja Wyspy. Going inside, he took a seat and ordered his snack. While he was waiting for his order, he decided to go over the dessert section to get the maple-syrup._

_While walking there, he noted that the one of the waitresses, a sandy-haired-blond, was in dire need of a proper haircut. As he was thinking of something-else, Matthew didn't pay attention to what was infront of him and bumped into someone. As a result of the collision, that someone who was talking on his cellphone dropped it on the ground. Before Matthew could realized what was happening, his foot went over the phone and smashed it. He gasped as he saw the broken pieces of what looked like an expensive phone. Looking up he saw a silver-haired man who seemed to be his age, crimson eyes staring at him with an angry expression. Matthew couldn't believe what he did and said, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to break your phone," with his eyes watering._

_He was sure he was going to be shouted at, so he was surprised when the other took his hands into his own and stated, "Did anyone ever tell that you look so adorable when you cry? Makes people want to glomp you and eat you_._" Matthew was shocked, he didn't know what to say to that except that he was sorry for destroying his mobile. The guy replied, "It's alright. If you feel bad about smashing my phone, just buy me the same model-phone," and he proceeded to take out a card, giving it to Matthew. "My name is Gilbert, my contact details are on that card. So, give me a holler when you want to meet up. By the way, what shall I call you?"_

_Still shocked at how this conversation was going, Matthew just gave him his card which Gilbert inspected. "Oh, you're Matthew, a hair-stylist. Awesome, I guess now I know where I'll get my hair styled." After introducing himself, Gilbert left. Matthew stood there wondering what had just happened when he realized that he had to buy a new phone for Gilbert. He didn't come from a rich family and working at Bella's store didn't give him much pay. As he was trying to think of what he should do, he felt someone tapping on his shoulder. _

_Turning to his left, he saw Feliks standing there who asked, "Are you alright? You've been spacing out for awhile."_

_Now feeling even more lost at the prospect of unable to buy the expensive phone, Matthew started to feel depressed again. Feliks then took Matthew to his office where he listened to all that the violet-eyed blond had to say. After hearing Matthew's troubles, Feliks offered a job-position to him telling how much he would pay and how many hours Matthew needed to spend knowing that he worked at Bella's salon- Feliks knew Bella wouldn't like it if he stole one of her best hairstylists. However, he added, there was a catch._

_Matthew asked, "A catch? Well, I understand- with that good of a pay for so few hours, it's just too __good to be true." _

_Feliks smiled, "You don't have to take it, if you totally don't want to but before I mention it, I need you to promise me that anything that is said now, must never leave this office." Matthew nodded swearing that he wouldn't. Feliks then revealed that the position was to be a waitresses at his cafe. Matthew atfirst thought Feliks was joking but when he saw the other looking serious, he figured that what was Feliks was offering._

_This time, the cat really caught Matthew's tongue because he couldn't say anything. Seeing Matthew reaction, Feliks said, "Maybe this might convince you," and he went outside the office, bringing the sandy-haired-blond waitress that he had seen earlier who was now holding a tray of pancakes. _

_When she saw Matthew, she said, "Ah, I thought you left before I could bring your order," and gave the plate to Matthew. She turned to Feliks. "What's going on? Why is it that I've to bring a tray of pancakes to a customer who is in your office?"_

_Feliks replied saying that Matthew might become one of the waitresses if she co-operates. Matthew watched the whole scene in confusion as Feliks closed the office-door. The sandy-haired-blond waitress looked at Matthew, thinking for awhile and then said, "Well, normally I wouldn't do this because I don't trust people so easily but you seem like the type who isn't malicious: can I trust that you'll keep this a secret?" Matthew nodded, still confused. _

_Finally, she put her hands on her head and removed what now looked like a wig. Matthew found himself staring at his brother's ex-boyfriend. He was going to ask the Brit whether he remembered him but decided to drop it since he knew most of his acquaintances failed to recognize him half the time, so he didn't bother to inquire about it_

_After a long explanation, Matthew soon learnt Arthur wasn't the only guy who was pretending to be a waitress and the reason why Feliks hired males instead of females as waitresses. None of the customers knew about this which was why this had to be kept secret. Looking at the scene before him and thinking about his current situation, Matthew not only agreed to keep it a secret but asked when he could start. Feliks said when he was done at the salon he could come right over._

_However, before he could leave the store, Matthew asked Arthur whether he could style his wig properly, "I'm a hairstylist and I can't let you walk around with a wig styled like that." Arthur blushed, giving his thanks._

* * *

As he opened the hair-salon, Matthew was surprised to see who was standing there. "Gilbert, how long have you been out here?"

Gilbert blew into his hands and rubbed them, "For sometime, can I come in?" Matthew stepped aside while he walked in, "I don't let anyone-else besides you to touch my awesome hair but sorry, I didn't make an appointment. Is that alright or should I come back another time?"

Matthew smiled: he knew Gilbert was a spontaneous person and he liked that about him. Eversince they had met at the cafe, Gilbert came regularly to Matthew for haircuts. No-one usually would pay attention to Matthew but Gilbert was different: he actually listened to what the other had to say. Though Gilbert was loud and brash, he seemed genuinely kindhearted. Occasionally Matthew would get a flutter in his heart whenever Gilbert was nearby but vowed never to expect anything-else than friendship from their relationship.

Shaking his head, Matthew said, "It's fine. I can cut your hair," while he directed Gilbert to a seat near the sink, asking what he would like to have done. Gilbert replied, saying the usual to which Matthew smiled again because it sounded like he was ordering a drink instead. Since Gilbert came to the hair-salon often, Matthew knew what Gilbert liked and what he didn't, therefore it was no longer necessary for Gilbert to tell him exactly what he wanted.

When Matthew put towels around his neck, Gilbert said, "I've been itching to ask you this- I've been visiting the cafe 'Fantazja Wyspy' regularly and I saw someone who slightly resembles you. By any chance, is it yo-"

"SISTER!" Matthew screamed. Taken aback by the sudden outburst, Gilbert kept gazing at the blond who coughed, "My sister, Matilda, works there." The silver-haired man had an inquisitive look but didn't say anything and looked infront. Matthew panicked, '_Maple! I hope he isn't on to me_.'

Feeling antsy, Matthew proceeded to wash the silver hair and started massaging Gilbert's head as he moaned, "Gott, you've got the fingers of an angel."

Matthew couldn't help but blush whenever Gilbert emitted sounds of pleasure every time he shampooed his hair. '_If people were to hear this, they would think this is a Soapland, not a salon. I'm glad there is no-one-else here right now_.' After he was done washing his hair, Matthew later gave the haircut which Gilbert approved of.

As he put on his black leather-jacket, getting ready to leave, Gilbert looked at Matthew, "Annually our music-department holds an event where we showcase our talents. However, only those who belong to the music-department can get in for free. The others who want to enter, need to buy tickets which are costly. But since we're so awesome and have major talent available, many people try to attend it. I'd be glad if you come and see me perform on that day," and produced two tickets from his jacket.

When Matthew took the tickets, he was confused as he saw names other than his were written on them. "These two tickets only have Lovina and Matilda's names."

"The people whose names are written on the tickets can bring someone-else with them. But if they don't come, then these tickets are useless. So, you won't be able to enter unless Matilda is there. Concerning Lovina's ticket- Antonio loves these events and tried inviting her several times but she refuses to go with him. Me being an awesome buddy volunteered to help mein freund out but I, uh, failed as well," Gilbert said, looking sheepish, "I was hoping maybe you...r sister could convince Lovina to come to the event. If she can't, then it's fine."

Then Gilbert finally added, "And if your sister comes that day, then you don't have to buy me that cellphone that you owe me."

Matthew was puzzled by that statement. "But wasn't it expensive? I need to repa- wait, you said my sister?" he became more puzzled when he realized Gilbert mentioned the word 'sister.'

Gilbert smirked as if he was challenging Matthew, "Yeah, I think she's awesome like you. So if Matilda does come that day, then you don't have to replace it." Matthew stared back, not sure why Gilbert was looking at him like that, however he nodded but said that he couldn't give him any promises.

Soon it was nearing noon: the time to go to the cafe. As he was packing his things, Matthew took one final look at the tickets that Gilbert gave him. '_Why did he smirk like that_?'

* * *

Now, in the changing-room of the cafe, Mathew was dressing into his outfit which was a sailor-girl costume for the week: a long-sleeved, white pleated skirt-dress attached with a light blue sailor-style collar and a ribbon tied in the front. The costume had a light blue anchor emblem in the front and Feliks had sewed matching sailor hats for them to wear. Finally, when he had pulled on the white-leather-knee-boots, Matthew checked himself in the mirror to arrange his black wig properly.

Staring into the mirror, Matthew couldn't get rid of the feeling that Gilbert knew something he didn't. While he was having his internal monologue, Matthew heard Yao sternly talking to Feliks as they both walked out of the changing-room. "Why did you make the skirts so short, aru?" Feliks sighed and asked what his batchmate really wanted, to which Yao replied, "What I want is a peace-of-mind for one week where I don't worry that my behind might be on display whenever I bend."

Outside, Matthew also heard Lovino speaking in a frustrated feminine tone, "Dammit, this is like the tenth time you're using that threat. You've been using that blackmail for so long that it has become stale. If you were to complain to the authorities now, you won't have a case since your bruise is healed. So, if you don't have anything to order, then f*cking leave."

Matthew laughed when he heard Antonio cry, "Mi corazón, why are you playing hard to get?"

Lovino spat, "Idiota! I am not!" and he entered the changing-room, kicking the door closed. He turned to see who was in there and when he saw Matthew, he replied, "If I lose my temper right now, don't take offense to it."

Matthew inquired, "Is Antonio driving you up the wall?"

Lovino huffed, "More than ever. It's getting difficult to maintain my cover but since we need to be hush-hush with our disguises, I can't tell that bastard that I'm a boy. I swear, if I didn't need the money I wouldn't do this job."

The blond asked, "So, if you were given a choice to leave this job, would you take it?" Lovino answered flatly, "F*ck yeah... Why do ask?"

Matthew proceeded to tell Lovino everything that happened at the hair-salon today and what Gilbert offered in the end. Lovino inquired, "Why did you start working in this café?" When Matthew listed his reasons, Lovino questioned, "That's it? You don't need the money to pay for rent, just to buy Gilbert a new cellphone?" Matthew nodded.

Finally Lovino said, "Man, if I was given the option of not being in skirt anymore I would take it. If I were you, I would go to that event in a dress looking like a sissy if it might mean that I never have to wear it again... My advice is go and get it over with."

Matthew asked, "Will you come with me? Because I've an extra ticket with your café-name on it."

Lovino scoffed. "I said I'd go if it would mean that I would never have to be in a dress again: so, my answer is HELL NO since I still have to be in god-damn skirts for awhile."

Smiling, Matthew took the ticket out and slipped it in Lovino's locker. "Well, in case you change your mind…"

* * *

With the cafe being busy and Antonio trying to get Lovino's attention, the boys prayed that Lovino would be able to maintain his cool and that nothing-else would upset him enough to blow their cover. However, they realized God decided to abandon them in their time-of-need when they saw who the next customers were: a stoic blond German and a bubbly Italian brunette. They were standing side by side at the entrance and that Italian was hanging off the arm of the blond with a cellphone in his hand, saying, "Ve, Kiku, I hope you'll able to finish your project soon, so that we can hang out... Ciao!"

Elizabeta went to greet them and proceeded to take them to their seats. Lovino watched the whole scene with his temper rising. The boys became worried when they saw him going closer to them but breathe a sigh-of-relief when he stopped a few feet away from them. Fearing that things might take a turn for the worse, Arthur & Yao went and stood by Lovino (even though they had other customers to tend to), knowing full well that he had a brother-complex: they had to be ready if things became nasty.

Lovino, at that moment, was like live gunpowder- even the tiniest spark would set him off. Both Arthur and Yao hoped that wouldn't happen.

Ludwig became shifty-eyed, "_**Please Feliciano, let's leave. I feel that there is something particular about this café**_," as he saw the three waitresses eyeing him; he could feel a threatening-killer-like aura emanating from the redhead. Feliciano, oblivious to the atmosphere, chimed loudly, "But I wanted to see what the waitresses are wearing. Maybe I can get some ideas on cosplay so that I can wear them when we're together in bed."

That was the last thing that was needed to light the fuse in Lovino who screamed, "THAT'S IT! Let me at him!" which surprised the couple.

Immediately, Arthur said, "YanYan, help me," grabbing Lovino from behind, putting his arm around his body while his other hand was over Lovino's mouth.

Yao walked infront of him and started pushing the duo to the changing-room. When they reached it, he knelt down to hug Lovino's waist with his head on Lovino's stomach to stop Lovino from moving, "Calm down, aru."

Arthur still holding Lovino from behind, "Look, I've nothing against Feliciano. It's just that he is a bit of blabbermouth- he might reveal our cover to the others without intentionally trying to. Feliks had to even lie to your brother when he wanted measurements for your costumes: that's how much we've to be careful around Feliciano. So, we can't risk you meeting him."

Lovino snarled through Arthur's fingers. "I don't care! I need to rip that Potato Bastard's head off. My brother's innocence is at stake!"

Yao sarcastically thought, '_Brother's innocence? Wasn't it Feliciano who 'innocently' suggested cosplay sex_?' while Arthur rolled his eyes, thinking, '_Seriously, this guy has such a huge brother-complex that he can't see his brother might not be that angelic_.'

Feeling that Lovino was being too loud, Arthur clamped his hand over the Italian's face. "Relax, will you? I bet that whatever is happening between Ludwig and Feliciano is harmless." After some time, he felt Lovino go slack against him. "Ok, I told you to relax but not that much."

Yao looked up and panicked. "Aiyaa, you're cutting his oxygen supply!"

Arthur immediately let go of Lovino. With Lovino not being conscious, he would've fallen to the ground, had Yao not been holding him by the waist. Slowly they placed him on the floor- Yao ran to inform Feliks while Arthur tried to wake him by shaking his shoulders.

For awhile, Lovino was feeling drowsy. He then felt warm palms on his cheeks and something soft on his lips. Opening his eyes, he was stupefied to find Antonio kissing him. After a moment, he realized the Spaniard was actually giving him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, as Lovino started to cough. Sitting up straight, with his face turning scarlet-red, Lovino glared at Antonio. "Wha.. What.. the..hell, you bastard?"

"Gracias a Dios, you're alright. When I heard YanYan telling Feliks that you lost consciousness, I just rushed here." Taking Lovino's palms and giving kisses to both of them, Antonio continued, "Tú eres todo para mi. I don't know what I would've done if something bad had happened to my precious jewel."

Lovino became more flustered as Antonio started giving butterfly kisses to his palms, saying more thanks to the Lord. He wanted to shout at the Spaniard for doing something that he felt was unnecessary since he didn't drowned, but at that moment, when Antonio was acting like he was the only thing that mattered, Lovinio felt something stirring within him. '_He thinks you're a girl. Don't get ahead of yourself_.' Taking his palms away from Antonio's grasp, Lovino stuttered, "L..let go... thanks but you can l..leave now cause I'm fine."

Watching the scene between Lovino and Antonio, the rest of boys felt sorry for Antonio- he really didn't have a chance with the Italian considering the circumstances. However Elizabeta thought differently. "Well Lovina, since Antonio saved your life, I think it's only fair to repay him." The Italian gawked at her whilst Antonio was over-the-moon when he heard that.

Lovino spoke through his clenched teeth unable to believe where this was going. "And how exactly am I supposed to that?"

The Spaniard answered happily, "By going on a date with me." Staring at Antonio's face, Lovino really wanted to smack him but he slumped his shoulders in defeat and nodded. '_I must be going insane since I'm actually agreeing to do this._'

x

**A/N: **Soapland is a brothel where clients are washed plus given a range of services that stop short of sexual-intercourse.


	5. Chapter 5

**THE CAFE OF DOUBLE LIVES...**

**Chapter 5**

Since Lovino had a fainting spell, Feliks gave him the rest of the day off, which meant that Antonio would be able to take 'Lovina' out for their date during the midday. Before the Italian could protest that he didn't have anything appropriate to wear, Elizabeta whispered, "_**Don't worry, I went shopping and I bought many fashionable items. Again, I'm sure that I'll have something that will fit you**_."

Lovino stared at her, thinking, '_What the f*ck? Does she bring her whole wardrobe here to the cafe?_' while she proceeded to kick everyone out of the changing-room.

This time, Elizabeta dressed Lovino in a grey spaghetti top and over it, he wore a casual, very slouchy, off-the-shoulder white sweatshirt. Concerning the rest of the outfit, when Elizabeta first showed him the grey frilly skirt, Lovino refused to put it on saying it was short: so, she provided a pair of grey leggings as a compromise saying he wouldn't look slutty if he wore them along with the skirt. As she was very persistent, Lovino finally relented and wore the whole outfit she provided. The ensemble was complete when he pulled on the white leather-knee-boots that was wearing earlier in the café.

When Lovino walked up to Antonio, the senior proclaimed playfully, "That's many layers of clothing that you are wearing. It will feel like I'm unwrapping a present when I finally take them off." Lovino glared at him, asking what the Spaniard meant by that, but Antonio replied with an innocent smile, saying, "Nada mucho... Shall we leave now?"

Lovino stared at him suspiciously before asking, "Where are we going this time?"

Antonio gave a wink. "That's una sopresa." Lovino groaned because he hated surprises but he was curious to see what the Spaniard had in store for them, so he quit complaining.

Finally, when they reached the place that Antonio wanted to take Lovino to, the Italian exclaimed with a scowl, "It's f*cking café! I'm a café-waitress if your puny brain didn't realize it yet: the last thing I want to see is another cup of coffee!" Indeed it was a café, named 'Expreso El Cielo.' Unlike Feliks' store where all the tables and chairs were inside, this café had furniture outside on the sidewalk, so people could enjoyed the outdoors while sipping their beverages.

Antonio pulled out one of the chairs, "But you always serve people. This time, you will be served."

Lovino wasn't sure what to make of that sentence but when he saw Antonio pulling the seat out like a perfect gentleman, waiting for the Italian to sit down on it, Lovino felt his face heat up a little- all the times they went out together so far, Antonio treated Lovino like royalty... Trying to show that this wasn't affecting him, Lovino immediately took the opposite seat and buried his face in the menu. The Spaniard then suddenly excused himself, saying he needed to do something.

While waiting for Antonio, Lovino looked around to observe his surroundings. He could see a huge cathedral across the road on the right, a few metres infront of him was a water-fountain, and diagonally across him on the left was a park. The location was away from the more heavily traveled roads, so it was relatively peaceful.

Before he could make more observations, Lovino heard a waiter say, "Perdón, here is your tomato juice drink."

Not looking at the waiter, he exclaimed, "Well, it's about time! I've been dying for a drink," but then Lovino realized something was odd. "Aspetta, I don't recall ordering yet," he said, and turned to face the waiter. He got the surprise of his life- standing there was Antonio, holding a tray and placing the drinks on the table. The Spaniard had changed his outfit: he now wore a white long-sleeved t-shirt and black pants. Over the shirt was a black tie, black tuxedo vest and long black restaurant half-apron. Lovino couldn't believe how hot Antonio looked, and hoped his face wasn't turning red.

Antonio gave Lovino his trademark smile, saying, "I noticed you always ordered the tomato juice, so I went ahead and ordered it for the both of us." When the Italian asked why he was in the waiter-outfit, Antonio took a seat at the table, answering, "My uncle runs this cafe and I used to work here as a waiter. That's how I was able to get this uniform so quickly."

Though they did talk about other topics like how Antonio didn't live in the dorms but instead chose to rent a flat nearby Gilbert and Francis, Lovino was unable to tear his eyes away from the incredibly handsome senior in his outfit: so the Italian, trying to look uninterested, remarked, "You never mentioned about your uncle running a cafe."

Antonio countered, "You never asked."

Lovino scoffed with a scowl. "It's not like it's used in everyday conversation. How was I supposed to know to ask such a thing? Besides, you talk about every thing whether it has any importance or not. I would've assumed you would have mentioned this particular detail sooner."

Staring into Lovino's brown eyes, Antonio declared, "Si, I guess should have mentioned that I worked as a waiter. Now I can prove, with you as a waitress, how much more in common we have with each other, apart from having similar tastes in food and music."

Hearing Antonio speak in a serious, sincere tone wasn't helping Lovino fight the blush that was threatening to form on his face, so the Italian asked to distract himself, "How come you stopped working as a waiter here?"

The Spaniard thought for awhile and then said, "With all the projects which were piling up at college, if I had continued to work here I wouldn't be able to do the one thing that I wanted." When Lovino asked what it was, Antonio replied truthfully, "To see you."

Hearing those words come out of Antonio's mouth made all the blood that Lovino was trying to prevent from rushing to his face move very quickly. He was sure that he was sporting a lovely shade of puce because his ears were warm as well. Excusing himself to go to the restroom, Lovino got up as quickly as possible. He couldn't enter the men's room in his current getup, so he peered into the ladies' room, noticing how clean it looked.

Finally, when he was sure there wasn't anyone there, he went and locked himself in one of the stalls. '_Why am I reacting this way?_ _Pull yourself together: this is no time to act like some lovesick-school-girl._'

* * *

Observing the scene between the Spaniard and the Italian, a Turk sat diagonally across them in the far corner, pouring the strong Turkish-coffee from the 'cezve' into his espresso cup. Adnan wasn't spying on them. It was just that while he was on his way to Feliks' store, he passed 'Expreso El Cielo'- the place where he used to work as a waiter. He was then spotted by his friendly former boss, the owner of the cafe, Mr. Carlos Machado, who made him take a seat while they discussed everything that happened in their lives.

Before Carlos got up to go back to work, he told his former employee to order anything he wanted before he left: it was on the house. Adnan always liked having a nice cup of Turkish-coffee, so that was what he asked for. When he finally got his order, he was disappointed that the coffee didn't smell like the way Heracles' coffee smelt. However he didn't dwell on it any further as his attention was focused elsewhere.

Adnan was stunned to see Lovino walking up to the cafe in that outfit. He recognized his colleague immediately because he only knew one redhead who had that type of a scowl on their face. For a moment, he wondered whether the Italian actually enjoyed crossdressing but when he saw his Spanish classmate following soon after, he realized what was happening. '_I see, this is another one __of the 'dates' that Lovino is forced to go to. I bet Lizzy made sure Lovino dressed like that. She really treats those guys like dolls._'

Watching them, Adnan noticed Antonio had a look that he was very familiar with. He began to reminisce about his experience with unrequited love -

_Elizabeta's smile had_ _always cheered Adnan up. The fact that she looked so timid made_ _Adnan want_ _to protect her_ _at first. Later, he found out that she was capable of taking care of herself especially when a purse-snatcher tried to grab her Gucci: she gave the thief a ton of bruises. This surprised and intrigued Adnan even more._

_Though Adnan liked Elizabeta for the longest time, he never could ask her out. Every time_ _when he had summoned the courage to talk her, her infectious laughter made him tongue-tied and it didn't help that she was really sweet to him. Slowly his crush started growing to a point where he was unable to concentrate on anything. This didn't go unnoticed by the infamous Greek-Sex-God who was his roommate at the dorms since freshman year. Heracles would tease him by calling him a coward in his usual deadpan_ _manner._

_However, the Greek slowly started getting irritated by Adnan's behaviour-_ _especially when it messed up their collaborated drama projects. "Get a hold of yourself! There_ _is no way I'll get a bad grade just because you can't control your puppy-love-crush." In the end, seeing that Adnan wasn't able to do anything about his problem with Elizabeta, Heracles decided to take matters into his hands, literally: this first took place while they were in their doomroom. Adnan was shocked in the beginning but Heracles replied, "You need to release your stress and I'm showing you how. It's just touching- no kissing or anything else further than that. So relax." _

_Adnan would've pushed the Greek away but it had_ _been so long since he had physical contact with anyone that the Turk got swept into the whole thing. When they were done, Adnan did feel stress-free_ _and also found out why people were lining up to sleep with Heracles:_ _he was very skillful._

_This charade of theirs went on whenever Adnan was around_ _Elizabeta- Heracles' reasoning was that he wanted Adnan to be alert and not have_ _his head in the clouds. The Turk didn't oppose to it either, seeing that it actually helped him concentrate on his college work and he was not wasting his time daydreaming about Elizabeta. To be clear, they weren't sex-friends, more like two male animals in heat satisfying each other: that was how Adnan saw it after he found out that Heracles hadn't been taking any partners since then. Again, Heracles' reasoning was that he didn't have the time to spare for affairs at that period in time._

_One time, upon_ _getting out of the bathroom, Adnan saw Heracles lying lazily on his own bed while playing with a kitten he found recently. The Greek remarked, "It's a good thing that she isn't in our Department, otherwise you would've dropped out_ _long ago."_

_Adnan changing into his clothes. "Kapa Ceneni. My crush for Lizzy isn't that bad." _

_Heracles replied in an apathetic tone, "Alitheia?_ _Isn't that why you begged me to convince Feliks to hire you as my accomplice in baking, especially when you found out that the store she works in isn't hiring_ _any waiters."_

_The amber-eyed boy turned to look at Heracles, "While we are on that topic, did I get the job?" When Heracles didn't say anything, Adnan frowned, "Oie, you promised you'd get me that job if I let you keep that kitten in our room, without informing the dorm president." Studying the Greek's expression, Adnan stated, "You know, I'm getting the feeling that you don't want me near Elizabeta- is it because you have feelings for her too? Is that the reason why you don't want to recommend me for the job?"_

_Heracles sighed. "For the love of Zeus, will you stop complaining. You are scaring Mister Mittens." _

_Adnan raised his eyebrow. "You named that fur-ball 'Mister Mittens'?"_

_The jade-eyed boy, scratching the neck of the kitten which purred, explained solemnly, "This kitten is entirely grey but has white paws, so it looks like it's wearing mittens," but when he saw Adnan smirking, he became slightly irked. "It's a decent name, so shut up and don't make any snide comments, otherwise you won't have that job at Feliks' store anymore."_

_When Adnan heard Heracles say that, his ears pricked in excitement. "You mean, I got accepted to work there as a baker?" Heracles nodded and said that the Turk would, in the beginning, work under Roderich rather than with Heracles since he is a novice but that didn't matter to Adnan as long as he got to be near Elizabeta._

_The first few days at 'Fantazja Wyspy' were_ _tough since Roderich, the head-baker, was a difficult_ _taskmaster: everything had to be meticulous but Adnan didn't mind it because first, the pay was good enough without working for long hours compared to his other previous jobs, second, he got_ _to have a good laugh at what his co-workers wore (especially_ _when he found out that most of waitresses, apart from Elizabeta, were boys), though he soon got used to them wearing such clothes and actually appreciated Feliks' sense of fashion, and also because_ _he was able to be near the_ _object of his affections._

_But his world soon came crushing down upon him in the college cafeteria when_ _he learnt that Elizabeta and Roderich were dating. Antonio, who was with him after drama-class, stated, "Si, those two have been going out for some time_ _now. Gil mentioned that Roderich was being secretive about his relationship with Elizabeta but I guess since his cousin tried to get too close to his girl, Roderich must have decided_ _to be more vocal about it."_

_Watching Elizabeta kiss Roderich's cheek, Adnan felt his heart break into a_ _million pieces. Just then, he caught Heracles staring at the couple- that was when he realized that the Greek looked at Elizabeta the same way he did, with that same painful look of longing. The Turk couldn't believe that the Greek God, a player who was known for not being tied down to someone for too long, actually did share the same feelings for Elizabeta as he._

_After seeing that, there were times when Adnan wanted to quit working at Fantazja Wyspy but when he saw that Heracles still chose to remain working alongside Elizabeta, he felt Heracles was strong at heart and decided to also stay since one needs money to satisfy their hunger (though his initial reason for working there was to get closer to Elizabeta)._

_Slowly Adnan got over his crush. He also came to the conclusion that Heracles must have seen that the Turk wasn't affected by Elizabeta anymore and didn't feel the need to 'de-stress' Adnan: well, that was how the Turk saw it since they didn't perform_ _their 'charade' ever again._

* * *

Finishing his cup of Turkish coffee, Adnan shook his head wondering why such a memory came to him. He then realized it was because Antonio looked at Lovina (or Lovino) the same way the Turk used to look at Elizabeta.

Adnan was about to leave when he saw Lovino, while walking towards Antonio, trip and fall to the ground. A little worried for the Italian, he moved towards the couple. '_I bet he wore stiletto boots and that's why he fell,_' Adnan mused as he walked towards the now crouching Spaniard.

The Turk heard Antonio, with a look of concern on his face, saying, "You sprained your ankle? Alright, I'll give you a piggy-back-ride home." to which Lovino with a blush forming, retorted in a feminine tone, "You bastard, I'm fine. Don't you dare touch me." Adnan coughed to get their attention which worked, because they both looked up.

Antonio, still on the ground, was surprised to see his batchmate and former colleague. "Adnan, mi amigo, what are you doing here? Planning on coming back here to work again?"

Adnan smiled. "No, I was on my way to Feliks' store but your uncle caught me and wouldn't let me leave till I had something on the house."

The Spaniard laughed saying that sounded like his uncle, before turning his attention to Lovino who was now seated in one of the chairs. "Por favor, atleast let me drop you off at your home."

Lovino immediately said, "NO. Stop stressing over me. If you want to be useful, then get me something to drink." As they saw Antonio walk towards the cafe, Lovino turned to Adnan, pleading, "You have got to get me out of here. There is no way I can go with him to the dorms looking like this."

Adnan leered with a smirk. "Why? I think you look lovely."

The Italian glared at him. "This is no time to be making jokes. Are you going to f*ckin help me or not?" Though Lovino looked extremely pissed off, Adnan could see the look of desperation in the Italian's eyes- so he sighed and nodded.

When Antonio came back with a glass of water, Adnan stated, "The girls at the cafe called. It seems Lovina left her stuff behind. Since I am going there right now, I can take her."

Before Antonio could say anything, they all heard a burly man with dreadlocks -presumably Antonio's uncle- shouting at Antonio, asking why he hadn't come back to work all this time. Antonio responded back saying that he quit sometime ago. Both Lovino and Adnan decided to leave the bickering Spanish duo as they walked towards Feliks' cafe with Lovino limping a little while Adnan supported him. While they were walking, Lovino inquired, "You worked as a baker there?"

The amber-eyed man shook his head. "No, as a waiter. But before you get any ideas, let me tell you that you are better off working at Feliks' cafe." When the Italian asked how so, Adnan replied, "Though Mister Machado is nice, he makes you work for long hours with less pay. I know for a fact that this is very different from Feliks' cafe."

The Turk was sure that he answered all the questions Lovino wanted to ask about the prospect of working at 'Expreso El Cielo', because the Italian remained silent, not conversing anymore... After awhile, Adnan decided to ask, "So, how long are you going to keep Antonio in the dark about your little secret?"

Not looking at Adnan, Lovino questioned, "What is it to you with what I do with my life? Why are you asking?" Adnan answered, "I am asking because I know how Antonio must feel right now- thinking, hoping, praying that the person he likes might notice him. If you aren't going to give him what he wants, then cut him off- that's the kindest thing you can do for him."

Lovino now stared at the Turk with a dumbfounded expression to which Adnan snorted. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed the way Antonio looks at you. He has clearly fallen hard for you. Well, he has fallen for 'Lovina' except she isn't real. Let me ask you something- do you like him by any chance?" Lovino was utterly floored, so he didn't answer back.

Adnan sighed. "Listen, it might be none-of-my-business but you do realize that this is doomed from the start because he thinks you are a girl, correct? My advice for you is don't give him any more hope: it's just too cruel. Believe me, I know this from experience." The Italian nodded, still in a daze.

Just then, Adnan's cellphone rang. "Merhaba, this is Adnan speaking." The person on the other line sounded grumpy, "_You're late. Is this how responsible you are?_"

Adnan cringed slightly, "Heracles," and then in a teasing tone, "Like Arthur would say 'don't get your knickers in a twist' 'cause I'm on the way. Here, you can ask Lovino."

Pressing on the speaker button, Adnan goaded Lovino to say something who stated, "Yeah, he's helping me walk to the cafe."

Heracles not sounding convinced, "_He's helping you walk? What happened? Never mind. Just tell that ILITHIOS to get here fast._" Before Adnan could say that he could hear the Greek, Heracles hung up.

Putting his cellphone back in his coat, Adnan, feeling peeved, started muttering to himself. "Why does Heracles have to chew me out like that. Kahretsin! Recently, things have been weird between us- eversince we've been rehearsing for the'Julius Caesar' play, he has become so callous towards me. However, I can't understand why. It's not like I messed up any of my lines." Scratching his head, the Turk sighed. "I'm beginning to wonder whether what we started last semester is what is really making things awkward between us right now."

Adnan kept talking out loud, forgetting he was still in the company of the Italian who asked in curiosity, "What did you guys start last semester?"

Surprised that he was voicing his thoughts, Adnan with a slight rosy tint forming on his face, stuttered, "N...nothing. A...absolutely nothing happened. Let's hail a taxi."

When they got into the taxi, Lovino wanted to ask something-else but decided not to pursue it, thinking, '_I've my own troubles to worry about_.'

x

**A/N**: What did Heracles do to help Adnan relax & reduce stress? Ahem, we're sure you can guess what it was ^_^ (why Heracles thought that this would work? Keep reading to find out) but since it's a T rated story, we decided not to elaborate on it.

Carlos Machado - Cuba [here, he's one of Antonio's relatives since the official language in Cuba is Spanish]


	6. Chapter 6

**THE CAFE OF DOUBLE LIVES...**

**Chapter 6  
**

Because of what Adnan had mentioned, during the rest of the weekend Lovino would toss and turn in bed, getting less sleep. It was a good thing that during those nights Feliciano wasn't in their dorm-room, otherwise had his brother (like he always does) decided to crawl into the same bed Lovino slept in, he probably would have kicked Feliciano out.

Then finally on a Sunday night, it dawned on him that Feliciano might have been with Ludwig. He tried to reassure himself that it wasn't the case but he lost even more sleep. As a result, when Monday morning came, he realized that he was going to be late for class.

Changing into whatever decent clothes he could find, Lovino grabbed his art supplies (since it was a figure-sketching-class, he needed his sketchbook, kneadable eraser and graphite pencils) and left. While he was rushing through the halls, he had the unfortunate luck of bumping into someone and so whatever things he had been carrying fell to the floor. '_Great, now I'm really going to late_.' Without looking at who he bumped into, Lovino proceeded to pick his things up, growling, "Watch where you are going!"

The person he had bumped into replied, "Lo siento."

The minute Lovino heard the Spanish words, he panicked. '_No! Please God tell me it's not who I think is standing infront_ _of me_.' Lovino didn't feel brave enough to look at the person's face, so he kept looking down, hoping whoever was standing there would just leave. But that wasn't the case as the guy was eagerly helping Lovino to pick his things up. When he had everything in his hands, Lovino got up and looked to see who it was. His nightmare was confirmed- it was the Spaniard. '_God, why are you doing this to me?'_

Lovino saw Antonio was still having that smile but now his face possessed an intrigued expression. "Con permiso, you look familiar to me."

Trying to make as little eye contact as possible, Lovino replied timidly, "I've just got one of those faces, I guess."

Antonio, moving closer, shook his head. "No, I'm almost positive that I've seen you before."

Now feeling afraid that the Spaniard might find out about his secret identity, Lovino knew he had to throw Antonio off-track: so he decided to change tactics by screaming, "LOOK HERE, I've better things to do than listen to you make conspiracy theories, SO MOVE," and ran away as fast as he could.

Lovino prayed to the Lord above, '_If you love me, please let that be the last I see of him today._'

Reaching his destination, Lovino was glad he wasn't late and that the arts-professor hadn't arrived yet. He went and occupied his usual seat which was at the back of the class. Looking around, he saw most of students were busy chatting away. However, they all dispersed to their seats the minute Professor Roberto, a tall tanned muscular man, had arrived. He announced, "Class, today we've a special guest. He's a gifted actor from the drama-department. While watching the play which he was in yesterday, I was moved to tears because his performance was very powerful. So, I decided to ask him if he could be the next model for this class and he graciously agreed. So, please give a warm welcome to Mr. Antonio Fernandez."

Hearing those words, Lovino thought, '_God, you really don't like me, do you? That's it! The next time, I'm praying to Satan,_' as he watched Antonio enter the room- in a robe, no less.

* * *

So far all the models that the art-students ever had would enter, pose and leave: no conversations and no polite introductions. Antonio however was completely different from the others. He started spreading his joyous nature to everyone, telling how excited he was to be there. He mentioned he was slightly nervous but hoped that everyone would consider him worthy enough to be their model.

It was no surprise that everyone warmed up to the Spaniard. It was also no surprise that they all unanimously agreed Antonio was the perfect model especially after he had taken his robe off and was now sitting on the wooden stool that was on the podium.

After Antonio disrobed, Lovino couldn't concentrate. All he kept thinking about was what perfect muscle definition the Spaniard had. '_I wonder how it would feel to run my hands all over his muscles. NO, Lovi, concentrate! You're suppose to draw, not have these thoughts._' Those thoughts didn't stop though: images came to his head where Antonio approached Lovino, like a Puma on the prowl. When he reached the Italian, he slowly but sensuously started unbuttoning his shirt, revealing a trembling body which was dying to be ravished by the Spaniard.

Suddenly Lovino realized that someone-else was putting these images in his head, so he turned to his right to see Elizabeta sitting there, whispering even more explicit scenes to him. He wasn't baffled to see her in this room since she took this course to gain extra credit-points but he was baffled to find her sitting next to him, since it was Feliciano who usually sits in that place— it didn't register to Lovino that his brother was oddly absent today.

With a vein throbbing on his forehead, Lovino hissed, "_**What the f*ck do you think you are doing**_!"

Elizabeta smirked. "_**Lovino, why are you are on the defensive? Does the prospect of being in a relationship with a guy scare you or does that not scare you? Or is it the fact that it DOESN'T scare you, SCARE you**_?"

He stared at Elizabeta with an appalled expression: sure, he should be used to her Boy's-Love-Crazy antics by now but he was still unable to believe the things which came out of her mouth. Before he could retort anything back, the Professor crept up behind them saying, "You two won't get any work done if you keep whispering."

Lovino, with a blush on his face, lied by replying, "I know that. I was just asking Elizabeta if she knew where my brother was."

Professor Roberto pointed to wall behind them. "Feliciano mentioned he had some important things that needed to be done today, so he provided his own work for today's Figure-Sketching-Class."

They both turned to look at what the Professor was pointing at- a Sketch portrait showing a tall strong German in all his glory, lying on the bed.

Elizabeta fanning herself, '_Jaj-istenem, Feli certainly is a lucky boy... I'm sure the reason why he isn't here, is because he wants to help Ludi prepare for the Musical event which is so sweet,_' while Lovino's temper shot to the roof when he saw clear proof of what Feliciano has been up to all this time, thereby breaking the pencil which he was holding in his hand. He was stumped that he didn't notice the sketch earlier, '_My idiot brother can't take measurements properly. There is no f*ckin way that the Potato Bastard is so well-endowed.'_

Making silent threats to finish Ludwig off, Lovino was now able to concentrate on the task-at-hand without letting his mind wander, except to the occasional plan on how to snuff the German. Finally, when the classes were over, both Elizabeta and Lovino prepared themselves to go to work at Feliks' cafe.

On their way there, they met up with Yao who looked giddy. When they inquired why he was so happy, Yao chirped, "Feliks informed today's outfit is the traditional Chinese-dress, Cheongsam." Normally, that sort of statement would've weirded Lovino out but eversince he started working at the cafe, he slowly got used to the whole thing. Yao continued, "At last, I don't have to worry whether I am flashing the world my underwear whenever I bend."

Lovino staring at him, thought, '_Don't get your hopes up._'

* * *

In Feliks' office, Yao wasn't happy- infact he was glaring at Feliks. Why? Well, Feliks had promised Yao that he would make long outfits for the following week. He fulfilled that promise by designing beautiful body-hugging red Cheongsams for the waitresses to wear (which reached their ankles), but Feliks made the slit at the side a little too high for Yao's comfort. With his left leg peeking out from the side-slit, Yao cried shrilly, "My hip can almost be seen! Why did you make the slit so high?"

Feliks replied with a wink, "You've got gorgeous legs. Why do you want to hide them? I say 'Work it, girl,'" snapping his fingers like those Bronx-divas.

Yao let out a frustrated sigh, "I'm a man- Men aren't suppose to have gorgeous legs!" and stomped out of the office. It was not like he could threaten Feliks that he would quit his job if his demands weren't met. The main reason why he chose to work at Feliks' cafe was because his grandparents, who single-handedly raised him since he was little, were in need of medical supplies. They told him that they were alright and that he didn't need to work so hard for them but he felt he owed it to them, hence tried to look for a job to send money back home.

However, wherever Yao went, the pay wasn't good enough or he had to spend many hours which would interrupt his college work. That's why when Feliks offered him a job position in his cafe, Yao felt it was God-sent since the pay was good for the hours needed to be spent working there: hence he didn't mind that he had to work as a waitress, though Yao felt it was ironic that his feminine looks which he never appreciated were at present, his only source of income.

Now Yao, while working, was surprised to find Kiku sitting at one of the booths. Kiku was from his old neighbourhood and they both used to be in same delinquent-gang when they were younger- he was one of Yao's loyal members which was why Yao felt he could trust Kiku with his secret.

As Yao walked towards Kiku, he was intercepted by Elizabeta. "YanYan, there is someone here who refuses to give his orders to anyone except you."

Closing his eyes, Yao whispered, "_**Please don't tell me that his hair colour is the same as my wig**_". There was silence, so Yao asked why she was being quiet. Elizabeta chuckled, whispering back, "**_Well, you did say not to tell you if it was the case_.**"

Yao groaned, "I'll tend to that customer later," and started going towards the restroom. In there, he stared into the mirror, recalling how he got mixed up with a certain miscreant -

_Throughout his growing years, Yao tried to compensate for his feminine appearance. So it wasn't surprising when he decided to join one of the delinquent-gangs in his school. Because of his natural leadership qualities and knowledge in martial arts, Yao quickly rose to being the leader of the_ _gang._

_During his last few years of highschool, a student named Ivan Braginski from Russia_ _had arrived. He was son of a wealthy family who owned a vodka_ _company. Because_ _he was next-in-line to take over from the company, he was given a lot_ _of respect, and was admired not only for his looks (tall with ivory hair and amethyst-coloured eyes) but also for his high IQ. _

_Yao paid no attention and didn't fawn over him like the others__, but in his senior year, it was impossible to ignore Ivan. From being a model student, the Russian turned into the black sheep of the school: it was almost like his dormant-criminal-nature became active in that year. Soon he too became a leader of a rival delinquent-gang. Then his gang would regularly clash with Yao's gang. Ivan would always go out of his way to bring on any sort of reaction from Yao, who of course wouldn't back down from a fight. _

_Ivan had everything which Yao didn't- money, height, strong masculine looks,_ _and the fact that Ivan was able to maintain good grades without trying too hard, pissed_ _Yao off to no end. So, he would constantly give injuries to him whenever Ivan came to bug him._

_In one of their last infamous street-fights where Yao had mercilessly defeated Ivan, he said in a chilling yet innocent voice, "I'll get you. Mark my words, when you aren't on your guard, I'll be there. You can count on it, comrade." The Chinese teen brushed that threat aside at that time but during the night, he had a sense-of-foreboding that something_ _unpleasant would happen and he was right a few years later while he was in college._

_Yao had just started working in Feliks' cafe: he never felt the need to wear a wig because he looked different when he left his long black hair loose on his shoulders. One fateful day as he was throwing the thrash in the alley-dumpster behind the cafe, he heard someone say, "Yao, is that you?" The ebony-haired man froze because at that time, he was wearing a highschool cheerleader's_ _outfit_. _Yao was about to tell the other person in a feminine voice that he was mistaken but his words died down when he saw who was standing there infront_ _of him: his_ _old nemesis._

_Seeing Ivan had a huge smile on his face, Yao was sure the Russian had unmistakably recognized him since all the street-fights which they've ever had, his hair in the end would always fall loosely over his shoulders as opposed to being tied all the time. Immediately, Ivan took a picture with his camera-cellphone._

_Without thinking it through, Yao rushed_ _towards Ivan, grabbing the cellphone_ _and breaking it. Instead of hearing dismay, all he heard was a sickening-chuckle that almost went kolkolkol. Then Ivan said "Now, I am certain that it's you. Your new look suits you, da?"_

_Yao tried to put a brave front. "Say what you want, aru. You and I both know that I can still wipe the floor off with your face."_

_Ivan smiled, saying, "That maybe true but what about the others? What would your old gang say if they saw you looking like this?" Yao retorted, "That's an empty threat. Since I broke your cellphone, you'll have no further evidence as soon as I quit working here, aru."_

_Now the Russian smirked. "Ah but you see, that's not the only cellphone_ _I own. Before you smashed this phone, I had already sent a message to my other cellphone_ _at home. I always make it a point to have a backup ready." Walking closer to Yao, Ivan continued, "I heard you recently started a part-time job. I was curious to see what my old rival was up to. To think you work like this- what would your grandparents say? Or our old neighbourhood for that matter?"_

_Yao glared at Ivan. He knew his grandparents wouldn't mind but he didn't want them to be a subject-of-ridicule from the others because of how he was earning money. He tried to think of a way to get out of this situation and Ivan made it even worse by saying, "I told you_ _I'd get you when you are least guarded, da?"_

_Finally, with no options, Yao let his pride slide, begging Ivan to keep this a secret. The Russian was silent for awhile before replying, "Only if you play nice," leaving a very confused Chinese man behind. For weeks, he tried to comprehend what Ivan meant. But he soon got his answer when Ivan started visiting the café,_ _becoming his regular customer. Unlike back in highschool_ _where he would immediately kick Ivan away, this time however he had to make conversation with his nemesis who would constantly tease him by saying how cute he looked.  
_  
_After he was recognized by Ivan, Yao went and asked Feliks to provide a wig for him to prevent any more mishaps like that but gave specific instructions that it should be a long white-haired wig. That's because Yao knew even though Natalia was now going out with Toris, Ivan was still wary of his sister since she had an unhealthy obsession with him when she was younger. _

_So, just to get back at the Russian whenever he became_ _bothersome, Yao would sometimes imitate Natalia to unnerve Ivan_**-** _which often worked._

* * *

Now, bracing himself, Yao left the restroom, and went towards where Ivan would usually sit at the cafe. It always hurt Yao's pride to talk to Ivan. Back then, Yao was top-dog of their highschool but now, he felt more like Ivan's b*tch. He hated not being in control of the situation: the ball always seem to remain on Ivan's side of the court. Feeling like he would never catch a break, Yao glared at the Russian. "What do you want, you sick stalker?"

Ivan said innocently, "Since I've taken the time to be with you, please don't ruin it with rudeness. And if you're going to call me names, I rather you call me 'Master' instead."

Yao scoffed. ''Yeah, that's not going to happen, aru."

Ivan replied with a smile, "Fair enough. Are you going to take my order, or are still trying to scare me with your amber eyes that glow like the devil's?"

Grumbling, Yao responded, "You would know about the devil, wouldn't you? I bet you have him on speed-dial." Clicking his pen and with a notepad in his hand, Yao asked what Ivan would like to have. The Russian replied, "A vanilla-milkshake, please."

Yao was slightly surprised at how all this was proceeding: usually Ivan would try to cop a feel just to see Yao's troubled look, saying how he loved seeing that expression. This time however, he didn't do any such thing but when he gave Ivan's order and started to leave, the Russian said, "Where do you think you are going? I didn't say you could leave."

Irritated by Ivan's bossy tone, Yao decided to reply like Natalia, imitating her Ax-Crazy nature, "Bratishka, I've other customers to tend to," and smirked when he saw Ivan shivering: the fact that he was able to make the Russian Bear shiver like that, tickled him with joy. However his triumph was short-lived when Ivan said, "You're being naughty and should be punished for that. Sit on my lap."

Yao snorted. "That's surely a punishment but I won't do it, aru."

Ivan, with a dark aura, stated, "There will be consequences if you refuse." Every time Ivan used that threat, Yao had to comply- otherwise he would the risk of his secret-double-life being exposed in his old neighbourhood. Yao would've quit his job if it meant he would never see the Russian again but Ivan already had a picture of him in that cheerleader's outfit and his grandparents still needed finances for medical expenses. Really, he had no choice.

Sighing slightly, Yao proceeded to sit on Ivan's lap. The Russian now was as happy as a clam with his hand around Yao's waist. "See, that wasn't so hard, da?" Yao just grunted in response. For awhile, they made small talk but Yao felt odd in his current sitting position, so in a miffed tone, he asked, "Don't you have anything better to do like running your family business instead of coming here, aru?"

Ivan replied in a teasing tone, "You seem to be in a bad mood. Here, maybe some milkshake will help make your mood get better." Yao, irked that his question was being ignored, said he didn't want any to which the other stated, "I insist, comrade."

Knowing he was fighting a losing battle, Yao figured he might as well go with the flow and started sipping Ivan's milkshake. He decided to gulp down a huge mouthful just to spite him. This actually brought on a reaction from Ivan since he heard the Russian telling Yao to look his way.

Turning towards Ivan with a mouthful of vanilla-milkshake in his mouth, Yao was surprised when Ivan suddenly smushed their lips together. He instinctively tried to protest but the moment he opened his mouth, the Russian started sucking in whatever contents that was there in Yao's mouth. When Ivan was done swallowing everything, he declared, "Mmm, whatever comes from you is delicious."

As Ivan was making that declaration, Yao though in shock, noticed a drop of vanilla-milkshake had trailed down from the side of Ivan's mouth. Now if anyone had walked onto that scene, they would have thought Ivan had just performed fellatio on Yao, especially after making such a declaration and having something suspiciously white on the corner of his face.

Becoming incredibly flustered and angry at the same time, Yao thought, '_I bet this psycho is doing all of this just to harass me, since he loves seeing my troubled expression_.' Then Yao went Wushu-style on the Russian, threatening Ivan that he would also attack with a wok as well if the other doesn't leave.

Kiku, observing the whole scene, recorded everything for his soon-to-be published manga. Closing his notepad, he gave his thanks to Elizabeta for informing him earlier that Ivan had arrived at the cafe.

Elizabeta -who was also watching the interaction between Yao and Ivan- wiped the blood droplet from her nose with her napkin. "As long as I get the first copy of your BoysLove manga, I'm more than happy to help."

x

**A/N:** Introductions:

Roberto - Ancient Rome

Ivan Braginski - Russia


	7. Chapter 7

**THE CAFE OF DOUBLE LIVES...**

**Chapter 7  
**

Sitting on his bed, Lovino waited for Feliciano to come back to the dormroom. Although it was a Tuesday morning, he had no classes to attend and he knew his brother didn't have any either as they both had the same schedules. While he was waiting, he stuffed his mouth with tomatoes to help calm himself down but after what he saw yesterday in the Figure-Sketching-Class, he was anything but calm.

Finally, Lovino heard the jingle of keys outside the door and saw Feliciano entering the room. His brother was momentarily startled to see Lovino rushing up to him, asking sharply, "Were you with Potato Bastard all this time?"

Shivering at the intense tone Lovino spoke with, Feliciano nodded. "His name is Ludwig, not Potato Bastard."

Lovino fumed, "I don't a give f*ck what his name is! I forbid you to see him!" Baffled by Lovino's reaction, Feliciano asked, "Eh? You never had a problem with me hanging out with Ludwig before. Why are you saying this now?"

In an angry tone, Lovino replied, "That was when I thought your relationship with him wasn't serious. Clearly it's different now, so stop meeting him." With his voice faltering, Feliciano inquired why. Lovino answered, "It's because he's out to trick you."

Feliciano was confused, so Lovino explained, "That bastard and his brother come from a rich family, yet he decided to work in the Pet-Store after you joined it. Don't you think that it's odd? I bet he has ulterior motives. He can't be trusted because in the end, he'll break your heart and leave you."

Lovino saw that his brother was actually listening to what he had to say. For-a-moment, he felt that not all hope was lost but it vanished the second Feliciano said, "Ve, I'll go ask Ludwig," and immediately ran out of the room with Lovino screaming at him to come back. He had never expected Feliciano to actually go and ask Ludwig. He brainstormed on what to do next and subsequently left his dormroom.

He went towards his college and finally reached the Dean's office. Rushing through the doors and then banging them shut, Lovino saw the Dean sitting at his desk who stated, "Lovino, just because you're my godson doesn't mean you can act like you own the place."

Walking towards the desk, Lovino stared at the Dean who was his Arts-Professor and his godfather as well. "Uncle Roberto, it's important!"

Roberto leaning back on his chair. "What is so important that you almost had to break the hinges off my door?"

Lovino declared, "I need you to expel Ludwig Beilschmidt." Giving him an incredulous stare, Roberto inquired why. Lovino was silent for awhile before whispering gloomily, "**_He's stealing my fratello_****.**"

Roberto's expression softened when he heard that. '_I had a feeling something like this would happen after Feliciano gave me the Sketch Portrait_.' Feliciano was an extraordinary artist but this particular Sketch had such fine detail paid to it -like the look in Ludwig's eyes, his slight smile, the overall expression on his face- it was clear that the younger Vargas twin had amorous feelings for Ludwig and vice-versa (Roberto wanted everyone to see Feliciano's beautiful masterpiece, however Professor Gerald didn't want his son on display, so he had to take it down.)

Observing Lovino, Roberto wasn't surprised that his godson was possessive of his younger twin -

_When the twins were little, their parents passed_ _away. Since they came from a poor family, they were tossed from relative-to-relative whenever expenses rose. Being their godfather, Roberto wanted to help, however he himself_ _wasn't in a stable job: so having them live with him wouldn't have made their lives any better. Finally as the years passed, he became the Dean and had the resources to help his godsons who by then were 18. When he found out that they wanted to apply to Arts-College, he made the necessary preparations to make up for all the times that he couldn't help them._

_Feliciano was extremely gifted, so he easily got the scholarship. In Lovino's case, Roberto had to pull some strings, but in the end, he was able to get that scholarship for him as well. He never mentioned this to them, however he had a feeling that Lovino knew he played a role in acquiring the scholarship for him because Lovino would pick on him every-once-in-awhile saying it was payback for reducing his self-esteem and later, he would thank Roberto for everything he had_ _done: it always amazed him to see both of Lovino's frustrated and caring sides one after the other._

_Since the twins moved from one family to the other, they became quite self-reliant. They refused Roberto's financial assistance to pay for rent, saying that they wished to do it themselves. However, Roberto noticed that though the twins didn't rely on others, they heavily relied on each other: Feliciano depending more on Lovino making the older brother feel needed and_ _important in his twin's life. In Lovino's case, Feliciano was the one constant thing in his life, so nothing-else mattered as long as his twin was beside him._

* * *

Now with Feliciano depending more on Ludwig, Roberto mused that Lovino felt less significant. He also realized that Ludwig taking away the only constant thing in Lovino's life reinstated his fear of abandonment which was why Lovino loathed the German.

Seeing that Lovino was still waiting for his reply, Roberto sighed. "I can't expel Ludwig without any reasonable charges." Lovino frowned and asked why. He replied, "Because it isn't right. Also the fact that Ludwig is the son of Vice-Dean Gerald, it's all the more reason not to expel him: I love my life, so I'd rather not lose it." Lovino was now curious by what his godfather meant, so Roberto revealed, "I recently hit on Gerald's wife which didn't amuse him at all. Then I realized what a handsome man he was, so I started pursuing him instead. The end-result was that he almost punctured my lung: so I definitely will not expel Ludwig because I'm too good-looking to become a corpse."

This time, it was Lovino's turn to give Roberto an incredulous stare, "How can you be such a pervert!" and then stomped towards the couch nearby. Sitting on it, Lovino crossed his arms around his body, wearing a sour look, his demeanor screaming defense.

Roberto walked up to his godson and sat next to him. They remained quiet for awhile til he said, "Lovino, I understand why you're feeling this way but believe me when I say this, Feliciano will always love you. Whenever I converse with him, your name comes up every-five-minutes which shows you're in his thoughts even though you both don't hang out as much."

As he saw Lovino's stance become looser, Roberto continued, "You never have to feel like you're alone because there are others around who you can consider family as well: you just need to open up a little."

Noting that the Italian wasn't going to say anything anytime soon, he finally added, "I know I haven't always been there when you both were younger but please remember from now on if you ever find yourself feeling lost or helpless, don't hesitate to depend on me." After he said that, Lovino slowly rested his head on Roberto's shoulder.

Silence took over them again as they remained in that position: Roberto was surprised that Lovino was showing his vulnerable side so easily since he always puts a tough-guy-front but Roberto figured with what Lovino was going through, it was to be expected: he felt all he could he could do right now was show his godson that he wouldn't abandon the twins like how their relatives did.

Their family bonding moment was interrupted when a knock was heard. The person on the other side of the door. "Sir, it's Antonio Fernandez, can I please come in?"

Before Roberto could grant permission to the Spaniard, he saw Lovino immediately getting up from the couch and doing a panic dance- flailing his arms and jogging in place, saying, "OHF*CK! OHF*CK!" He watched confusedly as godson hid under his desk.

Surprised by what just happened, a few minutes passed before Roberto finally found his voice and told the Spaniard to enter. He asked Antonio to have a seat on the adjacent couch while they talked- Antonio stated that he won't be able to pose for anymore Sketch-classes. When Roberto asked if it is because his schedule, he saw the Spaniard blush slightly before saying, "Among other things."

Roberto smiled. '_Oh, young love_,' he thought, and prodded Antonio for details. If Gerald was there, he probably would have admonished him for being familiar with the students, but Roberto never cared for norms like that, so he listened to the Spaniard go on about his crush. As Antonio spoke, Roberto felt that something was wrong since it sounded like he was describing Lovino, except the crush was a redheaded girl. But when Antonio added, "She becomes bright as a tomato and loves playing hard to get," there was a BANG from under the desk.

Roberto chuckled while Antonio looked worried, asking what that noise was. Roberto replied, "Oh, that's the sound of my cellphone in my desk- it vibrates loudly." Surprisingly (or not), Antonio believed that blatant lie and left.

As soon as the Spaniard was gone, Lovino emerged from under the desk, rubbing his head in pain. Roberto asked teasingly, "Is there something you would like to share?" to which Lovino huffed, "What are trying to insinuate, you pervert?"

Before Roberto could reply, Lovino's cellphone chimed. Excusing himself, his godson checked the message. "Feliks just invited me and the others to have brunch. I guess I should go, right?" Roberto noticed his slightly-apprehensive-look, so the elder told him to trust his instincts. Lovino thought for a moment and replied, "I guess a little brunch won't hurt anyone."

Roberto smiled, happy that Lovino was finally willing to open up to others and stated, "I couldn't agree more."

* * *

Feliks decided to treat the others to brunch but mostly it was an apology to Yao for tricking him into thinking that the week's outfit was modest. Well, it was modest by Feliks' standards but not according to Yao's. He knew beforehand what standards the ebony-haired man had, yet he couldn't resist making that slit higher than normal. '_They all have such pretty legs, I felt it would've been a pity for them to be hidden._' Luckily for him, Yao didn't seem angry at him anymore and agreed to wear the outfit for the rest of the week. Surprisingly he didn't ask for any alterations to the red Cheongsam: Feliks mused it must have slipped his mind since he had to deal with a certain Russian whom Feliks also didn't like.

Infact, Feliks wasn't very fond of the whole Braginski family considering the reason why his best-friend left was because of one of their members. '_Geez, I honestly don't know what Toris saw in Natalia- was it because of her obsessive nature, or her ability to dislocate people's limbs so easily? Ah whatever! As long as he's happy, I'll be happy for him too._'

After looking over the café's accounts, Feliks left his office to check the situation at the cafe. Everything seemed to proceed well with the customers being tended to by the 'waitresses.' He wasn't surprised to find Antonio here as well. The Spaniard had become a regular costumer to the cafe eversince Lovino started working here.

Feliks chuckled when he heard Antonio saying, "Wearing that outfit, you really resemble a tomato." He knew the Spaniard was trying his best to elicit a reaction from Lovino- in this case, trying to make 'Lovina' punch him again for making the tomato comment, so that he can bribe 'her' to go on another date. But it seemed that the Italian had wisened up and didn't raise to the bait. This went on until closing time with Antonio pulling all the tricks he could think of. The strangest thing was that Lovino didn't once lose his temper. '_Hmm, Lovino seemed to be bummed out during brunch as well. Did something happen earlier?_' but when he asked if something was wrong, the Italian replied he was fine and left the store soon after.

Now, as he preparing to close the cafe, his batchmate Orlando arrived. Feliks crossed his arms. "Your timing is like way-off. I told you to come here two hours ago."

Orlando smiled sheepishly, "Sorry but when you invited me for a cup of Cappuccino, I wanted to bake you something in return. They just got done, so they are still warm," and shoved a Tupperware container with a batch of brownies inside it at Feliks.

Atfirst, Feliks wanted to comment on the odd choice of the gift Orlando was bringing to a place which already has brownies but he figured it was a sweet gesture since the Dutchman baked them himself. However he had to ask, "Are those Hash-brownies by any chance?"

Taking one of the seats inside, Orlando replied with a sullen look, "Contrary to popular belief, I don't smoke pot all the time."

"Naprawdę?" Feliks decided to test this theory by going closer to Orlando. He started to sniff his neck, "Hmm, it's true. You smell of cologne instead of a joint," but when he saw Orlando blushing, he became surprised. "Woah, your face is like totally red. Are you alright?"

Orlando started trying to put as much as distance between himself and Feliks as possible. "I've got sensitive ears. As long as you don't go near them, I'll be fine."

The moment Orlando said that, Feliks' eyes widened in awe. "For realz?" Now he really wanted to touch his friend's ears- he had the same reaction when he found out about Lovino's hair curl and Roderich's mole. As if devil horns had formed on his head, Feliks started to pretend as if he was sniffing near his ears just to see his reaction: Orlando squirmed, begging Feliks to stop but he continued this til he saw Orlando turning beet-red.

Then snickering slightly, Feliks said in a jovial tone, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, like, make you feel uncomfortable. It's just that I couldn't help myself: never tell me not to do something cause I'll totally do it." Orlando raised his eyebrows but the blond quickly added, "I don't do this with everyone. I only tease those whom I'm like really close to."

This was the truth- Feliks was shy of strangers, so it's difficult for others to get close to him. But once he becomes familiar with someone, he becomes comfortable around that person, which was how it was with Elizabeta and Toris. This was one of the many reasons why he was upset when his best-friend left. But Orlando made sure not to make him feel alone which he appreciated.

Going to get that cup of Cappuccino he promised, Feliks remembered how Orlando and he became the cafe's fashion designers -

_Feliks had no clue what he was in for when he inherited his family business. As much as he tried to run the cafe the normal way, he wasn't getting any customers even after hiring Roderich and Heracles, both of whom were exceptional in what they made. _

_Finally when couldn't handle the loss of finances, he confided his problems to his close friend Kiku. He noticed the other was deep in thought, who later inquired whether the blond knew about Cosplay-maid-cafes. Surprised by the odd question, Feliks nonetheless answered no. Kiku then began explaining that the waitresses there, wore maid costumes while tending to costumers- these __type of cafes were popular, so he suggested Feliks to try running his cafe like that. The blond thought about it and figured why not: he didn't have anything to lose, so he was willing to give that idea a shot._

_Before Feliks attempted to design the maid-costumes, Kiku came up to him, bringing a tall spiky-haired guy along. He introduced the other as Orlando who was an expert in making 'Lolita'-styled-costumes: Kiku stated that maybe he could help Feliks design the maid-costumes by adding a special touch to them. Though the blond appreciated Kiku trying to help him, he was wary of Orlando because even though they went to the same classes, he never spoke to the other. Hence he wasn't sure of interacting with him. Kiku though assured him that having Orlando around would prove useful, so he finally agreed to the collaboration, reasoning to himself that it was only going to be a one-time deal._

_While they were discussing, Feliks was surprised by how innovative Orlando was, showing various designs to how the final costume could look like. As soon as they had chosen the final outlook which was a blue_ _and white_ _Maid-Lolita-dress, they started working. When they had_ _finished making the outfit, Feliks couldn't believe how pretty it looked._

_Now, usually when Feliks makes an outfit, he wears it_ _immediately just to see how it would look when worn. So, without thinking it through, Feliks started to strip and wore the costume to take a look in the mirror. Observing himself, the blond saw that the costume looked even more gorgeous when worn. Feliks continued to admire himself till he noticed in the mirror that Orlando was_ _looking at him with a wide-eyed expression. _

_Faltering slightly as it registered to him that he had stripped_ _naked in front_ _of someone else and also exposed_ _his closely-guarded habit, Feliks finally stated in a sassy tone, "Fine, I like to crossdress! There is no need to look so shocked." _

_Orlando slightly covered_ _his mouth. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare. It's just that it looks beautiful." _

_Reading no scorn in his eyes, Feliks smiled._ _"It totally does, doesn't it? I never thought it would turn out like this." _

_Gazing at_ _the dress and all the design-sketches, Feliks on the spot decided the waitresses wouldn't just wear a single costume throughout the year and that he would now use the cafe to practice his Fashion skills by designing all the costumes. But he would need_ _a little bit of help- turning to Orlando, Feliks asked, "If I were to propose a deal for you to design costumes along with me for the cafe, would you take it? I totally promise to pay you once the cafe starts bringing in profits. Though I'm not sure when that will happen but I'm positive if the waitresses wear the costumes that we make together, it'll be a hit. So, are you in or out?"_

_Orlando thought about it for while and agreed to be his fashion partner-in-crime._

* * *

While they were sipping their Cappuccino, Feliks started rambling, "Oh geez, I'm so pissed off right now. Just when we finish one project, our professor decides-on-a-whim to give us another one. We can't simply do a report on 'French Fashion.' One needs to be at the heart of it to truly express what it is."

Taking a bite off a brownie, Orlando replied, "So, let's go there the day after tomorrow." Feliks wasn't sure what Orlando meant, so he inquired what his friend just mentioned. Finishing the brownie-slice, Orlando declared, "Let's go to France and experience what fashion there truly is."

Staring at the other for awhile, Feliks finally asked pointing at the tupperware, "Are you sure this batch isn't Hash-brownies?"

Orlando frowned. "I'm being serious here. I've connections, so you don't have to worry about buying the Airline tickets. All you need to worry about is what to pack for a whole week and a half."

"Omigosh, just get up and leave? What about our classes?" Feliks enquired.

Orlando answered, "Our department isn't strict with attendance. It's not like they'll notice we are missing for a few days. To be on the safe side, we can ask our friends to cover for us. So, what do you say- want to come to Paris with me?"

Giggling in a exaggeratedly coy manner, Feliks joked, "Teehee, that's the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me."

However as he thought it, the blond started becoming excited. "It's a spur-of-the-moment type of thing, but sure, why not? Though I've to admit, it totally blows my mind that you even came up with this." When Orlando asked why he felt that, Feliks replied, "Well, normally you seem indifferent about most stuff, so to do something spontaneous like this seems out-of-character. But I'm not complaining: it's all good."

Orlando smiled and then started making a few calls on his cell. Feliks decided that he too should make a few arrangements, namely informing Yao that he was placing the Chinese senior in charge of the cafe till he came back (though he loved Elizabeta, he feared she might turn his cafe into something more perverted, if left in her care), and also decided to message Toris that he was going to Paris.

After he was done with his tasks, Feliks saw Orlando waiting for him. Locking the cafe up, they discussed what they would be doing next- Feliks being ecstatic at the prospect of going to France so soon.

x

**A/N: **So, here's why Lovino has a huge-brother-complex (Ancient Rome is the Vargas' godfather, instead of being their grandfather; & Gerald is Germania) ... About Feliks guarding his crossdressing-habit? Since it's not common in the manga, it's a secret here.


	8. Chapter 8

**THE CAFE OF DOUBLE LIVES...**

**Chapter 8  
**

As the days passed by, Lovino's mood became gloomier. Usually Feliciano would return to the dorms every alternate day or at the most, two days later but he had been gone for longer than that. '_I guess it should be expected since I did forbid him from seeing that Potato Bastard. Feliciano spoke loud and clear who he has chosen_.'

Trying not to let it get to him, Lovino went ahead with his day-to-day schedule. However, working at the cafe proved a little hard for him to handle with Antonio showing up almost every day and getting in his way. There were times when the Italian wanted to pull off his wig and say he was a boy but his Godfather's advice would pop up in his head, telling him to treat the ones who were close to him as family and Lovino knew the one thing that you don't do to family is betray them- so he would grit his teeth and bear it.

Then the next following days, Antonio was surprisingly absent. Lovino noticed Arthur, Elizabeta and Roderich also haven't been showing up at the cafe for awhile but he knew it was because they were preparing for the musical event taking place soon at a building called 'Apollo's Colosseum': Roderich would be leading the Orchestra as the Main Conductor (Elizabeta wanted to support her boyfriend, so she took some days off) while Arthur who would be singing on that day, would also be leading his dance-troupe (with all the steps that Arthur taught Lovino so far, the Italian could see Arthur was a good dancer: so, he wasn't surprised when he found out the Brit was the leader of a dance-troupe).

Now a week later, while working on a Friday evening at the cafe which was empty since it was almost closing time, Lovino wearing the Italian-Stewardess-uniform (red jacket, white shirt and green knee-length skirt) said out loud in wonder, "I guess the Spanish bastard got the hint and decided to give up on me."

"I wouldn't count your chickens before they hatch, aru." Yao stated who was wearing the Chinese-Stewardess-uniform (peach shirt with maroon-coloured jacket and skirt). When Lovino asked what he meant, the senior replied, "Antonio probably must be been helping Gilbert prepare for tonight's Musica Extravaganza, which must have been the reason why he hasn't been showing up at the cafe lately. Once that is over, I've a feeling he'll come back here in full force- so, get ready for some Spanish loving," and started snickering.

Lovino slightly pissed that Yao was making fun of his situation, decided two can play at that game, so he said, "You seem to be in a good mood. Is it because Ivan hasn't been showing up here?"

Yao's smile disappeared the minute he heard that and started to grumble saying the Russian probably didn't come to the cafe these days because he too might have wanted to help his sister, Katyusha, who is also taking part in the event. Later he stated, "I'll never tease you with Antonio ever again, if you promise never to bring up Ivan's name, aru."

The Italian smirked and replied it was great to know they had come to an understanding. Later Lovino asked, "What's so great about this 'Musica Extravaganza' anyway?"

Yao replied while sweeping the floor. "Well, it's almost like a two-in-one event. Though all those present have fun, it's more like a test is being executed instead of calling it a talent show since the professors present will grade the performers, which is why those who belong to the Music-department get in for free. Lastly, all the money that they've raised by selling the expensive tickets will mostly go for charity: so, it's almost like a charity event as well, aru."

Lovino now curious, inquired, "Who came up with that combination?"

Thinking about it, Yao stated, "I think it was the Music Professor Niccolo Machiavelli, who I find pleasant yet slightly eccentric."

"And the main reason why the event is so popular?" Lovino questioned to which the Chinese senior answered good music, great entertainment and finally free booze for those who pay for the tickets. When he heard free booze, the Italian thought, '_Why am I not surprised_?'

* * *

While they were cleaning the tables, Yao enquired, "Is Matthew ill, aru?"

Lovino replied, "I'm not sure. Why do you ask?"

Yao responded, "He called me yesterday and asked whether he could not come today. Normally, he never skips a day of work, so I thought after closing the cafe, I'll go and see how he is."

"He's probably at the Musica Extravaganza." Lovino shrugged his shoulders in response.

Yao was surprised by that statement because he was under the impression that Matthew was shy and didn't like huge crowds. However when Lovino explained why Matthew went, Yao started to become anxious. "Are you serious? So, if he meets Gilbert that means he'll quit working at the cafe?"

Confused by Yao's reaction, Lovino answered, "His only reason for working here was because he needed to raise some money to replace Gilbert's cellphone. Now the deal that silver-haired idiot offered was he wouldn't need to buy that phone if Matthew's 'sister' meets the other at the event- hence Matthew doesn't have a reason to work here anymore if he poses as Matilda."

Yao's face became extremely pale. "No, this cannot happen. Feliks will be devastated if he finds out that he is one staffer short. He'll be even more devastated to find out that this happened while he wasn't here. Matthew can't quit: not on my watch." The Chinese senior started remembering the time when Feliks broke down crying after Toris left. Praying he would never see that again, Yao took his phone out and started dialing. "Maybe I can convince Matthew to change his mind about quitting," but the call couldn't be put through. So, he tried calling Elizabeta but no luck there either. "Aiyaa, why has Elizabeta switched off her phone at a time like this! I hope I'll be able to reach Arthur's cellphone."

As Yao called the Brit, he was glad when he heard Arthur answering the call but he was a little disheartened to hear a lot of static as well. He then put the phone on speaker hoping the reception would become clearer. "Arthur, it's Yao. Can you hear me, aru?"

Arthur's voice on the other line was very distorted, "_He... Yao ...som... wrong_..."

The Chinese senior replied loudly, "Listen carefully, Matthew will quit working at the cafe if he meets Gilbert. So, whatever happens to do not let Matthew meet him," but it seemed Arthur didn't understand because all they heard was, "_Wha... you... a...in? Repeat... in._"

Yao started to enunciate his words, "Do not let Matthew meet Gilbert. If Gilbert is not with you, he might be with Francis," hoping that the Brit would understand, however Arthur replied, "_Wha... Francis_?"

Sighing when he realized this was hopeless, Yao cut the line and in an irritated tone said, "Hmph, Arthur says he is over Francis but that's the only thing he hears. Talk about denial, aru."

* * *

Back inside 'Apollo's Colosseum,' the energy and vibe in the huge hall was intense. Various students performed their gigs onstage which was on a higher platform while those who had their dance-troupes performed on the dancefloor (infront of the stage) to interact with the crowd below. The people present were having fun but Arthur was just staring at his cellphone, looking at it with a confused expression. He had absolutely no clue what Yao was trying to ask him because all he heard was static. Though the one thing that he clearly heard was Francis' name, '_What the BLEEDING hell is going on?_' Arthur looked around to find Francis in designer clothes, flirting with both boys and girls.

Watching the Parisian, Arthur started reminiscing his meeting with Michelle and how guilty he felt after that-

_While the Brit was shopping at the grocery store, he saw someone who he __would __rather not meet, __but he noticed the other was looking under-the-weather. So moving towards that person, Arthur asked, "Michelle, are you feeling alright?" The tanned petite girl with long flowing black hair replied while rubbing her tummy, "It's just a little bit of morning sickness. I thought by the __fourth_ _month, it would be over but I guess I can't be that lucky."_

_Arthur then proceeded to take her to the canteen that was inside the store. He ordered EarlGrey Tea for himself and gave her a cup of herbal tea. She said her thanks while Arthur took the seat opposite to her, worried for her condition. Michelle smiled. "I'm fine, so please don't be anxious. I already have the father of my child in pins-and-needles. I don't need another person fussing over me." _

_When he heard that, he thought she was referring to Francis but as she continued saying, "My blue-eyed hero is jumping through hoops to make sure the baby and I are alright..." Arthur became confused and interrupted her. "Excuse me, you said blue-eyed hero? Who are you speaking of?"_

_Michelle answered, "Alfred, of course. No-one else has referred to themselves as the __'Hero,'_ _right?" That reply puzzled Arthur because he was so sure that Francis was the father of her child and that they were dating again. _

_Probably since she misread Arthur's expression, Michelle started to explain, "I know this is a bit of a shocker for you since Alfred is your ex-boyfriend but trust me, I only started dating him after you guys broke up- I don't endorse infidelity." She later sipped her tea and stared at him for awhile. "I never thought I would feel this way for another man other than for Francis."_

_Rubbing her thumb over the rim of her cup, Michelle continued with nostalgic expression, "You know, Francis and me are childhood friends. We've always been close which was why when we entered college, we decided to take our friendship to the next level. I thought it would be smooth sailing but one day, Francis came up to me with reverence in his eyes, saying Gilbert had introduced Antonio and __he_ _to a very intriguing person. Then for weeks, he would keep talking about how interesting that person __was, __or how cute that person looked while __blushing,_ _or the way that person __behaved,_ _or how even though that person had huge eyebrows, it didn't diminished the beauty of those __absinthe eyes."_

_"Seeing Francis was paying more attention to someone else than me, I decided to end our relationship." Listening to Michelle talk, Arthur felt very __self-conscious,_ _unable to believe that Francis thought of him that way, and also felt she was accusing __him_ _of something unfair but she stated, "I'm not accusing you of being the cause of my breakup with Francis if that is why you're fidgeting. I was more angry at Francis as I couldn't understand why he was so enchanted by you, and why he couldn't pay attention to anything else except you."_

_Smiling slightly, she __said,_ _"Later when I met Alfred, I realized why. You're like an enigma in a little-blond-ribbon: nobody can guess what you're going to do next. Along with your kindness, I guess it's that air of unpredictability which attracted Alfred and Francis to you." Michelle finally revealed, "It took awhile for Alfred and me to get over you and Francis respectively but once we did, we found out there was something deeper and meaningful between us. One thing led to another and here I am with a bun in the oven, so to __speak,"__ and giggled. "It looks like the both of us performed a case of Spouse-Swapping since Alfred is with me and Francis is with you."_

_Taking a sip from his own cup, it hit Arthur that he had made a huge blunder because it meant Francis was telling the truth when he mentioned Michelle was going out with someone. He was slightly amazed to find out that she was actually going out with his ex-boyfriend. Though the Brit was happy that Alfred has moved on, he hoped it wasn't the same for Francis._

As he continued watching Francis, Arthur knew he lost whatever hope he had at getting back together with the Parisian, but it still royally ticked him off to see the other flirting with that harem in such an obvious manner. Huffing slightly, the emerald-eyed man then proceeded to go look for Gilbert since they would have to perform soon.

* * *

At the cafe, while Yao was thinking of what to do next, the tiny bell infront of the door rang which meant customers had arrived. He was about to tell them that the cafe was closed when he was pleasantly surprised to see who was standing there: a kind looking green-eyed brunette with shoulder-length hair and an emotionless ivory-haired blue-eyed girl. "Toris, Natalia. This is unexpected, aru."

Toris smiled. "We just wanted to drop by and say hi before going to the Musica Extravaganza." He turned and saw Lovino standing there. "Oh, I see Feliks has hired someone else to fill my place."

Yao introduced Toris and Natalia to Lovino- Natalia acknowledged Lovino's presence with a slight nod while Toris made a few pleasantries with Lovino before asking Yao, "Is Feliks here?" The Chinese senior said the blond was in Paris and was surprised the brunette didn't know about it.

Toris was even more surprised than Yao. "I thought he was joking about Paris when he sent me that message. I mean, half of the stuff he says can't be taken seriously. He has really gone, huh? So, that means he'll be back only next week, right?" Yao affirmed that inquiry.

While Yao and Toris were conversing, Lovino saw Natalia looking around in the café, remarking in a detached manner, "I thought Bratishka would be here. I guess he must be at the event to cheer for Sestra Katyusha."

Hearing that remark, Yao turned towards her. "Why would you think Ivan would be here? Hold on, were you the one who told Ivan about this place, aru?"

Natalia replied with an expressionless face, "Bratishka was never happy with me. Since Toris was able to bring a little happiness in my life, I wanted Bratishka to be happy too. I later realized causing torture to you would bring him the most joy, hence I told him where you worked."

Coming to the realization that Natalia was the catalyst of all his troubles, Yao's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "So, you're the cause of my misery. I knew you never liked me but this is going too far... No offense Toris, but your girlfriend is a b*tch, aru!"

Before Toris could voice his displeasure at Yao's choice of words, Natalia retorted with a sneer on her face, "I never understood why Bratishka bothers himself with a transvestite like you."

Lovino was slightly taken back by her outburst because since she entered the cafe, Natalia looked completely aloof, so to see her with that much contempt on her face threw him off a bit. He now noted the situation had escalated to a dangerous level as the ivory-haired duo had a menacing aura glowing around them: Toris and he watched as Yao brought his trademark wok out from the kitchen while Natalia was holding her knives (she had previously hidden them behind her back) in both hands. Since both of them had ivory-colored hair, if they weren't wearing different outfits, it would have been difficult to differentiate between the two as both were of the same body stature.

Toris thought, '_I know Feliks won't appreciate his cafe being turned into a battlefield,_' and intervened, saying, "Alright everyone, let's all just calm down."

Realizing his emotions was getting a hold of him, Yao stated in perplexity, "That's right. We can't waste anymore time."

When Toris inquired what was wrong, Yao explained the matter with Matthew and how upset Feliks would become if that happened. Toris, listening to the Chinese senior, replied, "I see. I didn't know Feliks was so upset when I left. I wouldn't want my best-friend to feel like that anymore... Natalia and I are going to the event: we can look for Matthew while we are there," and turned to look at Natalia to ask if that was alright with her. Again, her face showed no expression as she nodded in response.

* * *

Yao, however, was still dejected. "But that's a lot of ground for both of you to cover. You might not find him in time."

Lovino asked, "Is it that necessary to stop Matthew from meeting Gilbert? We can always talk to him the next day to convince him to come back to work."

Yao replied with a bit of apprehension, "It's just to be on the safe side. I mean, what if he really meets Gilbert and sees that he doesn't have to come here anymore? What will we do at that time, aru?"

With the advice of his Godfather coming to him again, Lovino went back to the changing room and brought a ticket with him, "Well if that's the case, then we could go to the event since Matthew left me a ticket saying I can bring someone along with me. So, you can enter the building for free as well." Before Yao could expresses his relief, Lovino stated in antipathy, "But I don't feel like going since on the ticket, my cafe-name is written. We won't be able to enter unless I go as Lovina."

Yao thought about it for awhile before saying, "Alright, I'll go as YanYan without taking my wig off, in that way, you won't be only one in drag and a wig." Lovino didn't look confident who responded with skepticism, "Even so, we can't go to the event looking like f*cking flight attendants."

The Chinese senior stared at Lovino's costume and at his. He then proceeded to take his maroon jacket off and asked Lovino to take off his red jacket off as well. With a smile, Yao declared, "I knew it! Feliks designed our shirts differently," It was true: Lovino was wearing a white halter top while Yao was wearing peach sleeveless top, "Now, it won't look like we're in Stewardess-cosplay-outfits. We look rather fashionable this way, even if I do say so myself, aru."

Before Lovino could reply how odd that statement sounded, Yao immediately went to Heracles and Adnan, informing them that they were in charge of closing the cafe. He grabbed Lovino by the hand, following Natalia and Toris to their car which was a beautiful silver MaseratiGranTurismo convertible. Toris gave the keys to Natalia, telling the others, "She'll get us there faster." That statement didn't calm Lovino and Yao as they saw her pulling on leather gloves.

The minute they got in, she started the car. While she was driving for a short time, some other car had cut her off. Natalia was about to chase that driver when Toris said, "Natalia, I know you want to break that driver's limbs but we don't have the time. We need to get to the event as quickly as possible," hoping this would convince her not to go on a wild-goose-chase.

Much to the surprise of the other two back-passengers, Toris' reasoning actually did register to Natalia who replied in a threatening chilling note, "If it happens again, I'll make sure the driver won't get into another car for the rest of his life."

Toris smiled while Yao and Lovino felt their lives were in danger seeing the car which they were presently in was being driven by a maniac. '_Whatever made us think it would be a good idea to get into the car driven by her in the first place?_' Their worst fears were confirmed soon after she hit the gas pedal- the car skyrocketed like a silver bullet fired from a gun, through the streets and then through narrow alleys.

Feeling like a couple of sardines being shaken in a tin-can, Yao screamed, "WHAT'S going on, aru!"

Toris replied, not looking at all troubled, "She's taking a few shortcuts. We'll reach the event in record time without the cops following us." With pride and adoration written on his face, the brunette said, "My girlfriend is a great driver, isn't she?"

Yao gaped at Toris while Lovino held onto the Chinese senior looking positively green, saying in a low voice, "_**I think I'm going to puke**_."

Now in a more state of panic than he originally was, Yao exclaimed, "Aiyaa Lovino, we're almost there. Please don't start retching," and was grateful the hood of the car wasn't down, otherwise their wigs would have been blown away by how fast Natalia was driving.

Finally when they reached their destination, both Yao and Lovino wobbled out of the car, thankful they were on solid ground again.

x

**A/N:** Since Apollo is the god-of-music and the Colosseum was a place where events were held in ancient times, the building where the musical-event would take place is coined as 'Apollo's Colosseum'... Guide:

Niccolo Machiavelli - An Italian philosopher who appeared once in a strip where he wrote a book with great war strategies entitled 'The Prince,' though in the end none-of-them worked [so someone like him coming up with the idea of a 'Musica Extravaganza' event, felt right]

Katyusha Yekaterina Braginski - Ukraine

Alfred Jones - America

_Once again, we send our love__ to all the readers who reviewed- your encouragement is like the fire in our 'thinking-lantern' which helps illuminate our story_


	9. Chapter 9

**THE CAFE OF DOUBLE LIVES...**

**Chapter 9**

The group entered the 'Apollo's Colosseum' building with relative ease. Toris felt they looked like the Charlie's Angels with him being Bosley, especially when the other guys present were giving him looks-of-jealously since he was surrounded by 3 beautiful women. '_I wonder how they would react if they found out two of them aren't who they seem_.'

Students were already performing their gigs onstage but Lovino and the others were focused elsewhere, While they were discussing what they should do, they heard a loud voice, "Natalia!" and turned to see 2 Asian girls approaching them: one was wearing a green ao-dai clothing & had her long brown hair tied in a ponytail while the latter preferred to let her black hair flow loosely, opting to wear a pink qipao & a long white skirt.

Yao became alarmed. '_GAH, that's Viet & XiaoMei. I hope they don't recognize me, otherwise those two especially XiaoMei will tease me to death_.'

When the two exchanged their pleasantries with Toris & Natalia, they turned their attention to Yao and Lovino. "Are they also from your new college?", XiaoMei inquired, looking pretty in her qipao clothing. For a moment, it seemed like Natalia was going to rat Yao out since she made it clear earlier that she didn't like him, but she finally gave a nod saying she wanted them to experience the event.

Thankful that Natalia didn't embarrass them, Yao and Lovino said their greetings before breaking away from the group along with Toris. They couldn't chat for long since they had to find Matthew.

Watching the crowd, Yao said, "If you're unable to find Matthew, then find Gilbert and stay close to him- since he'll be performing, it'll be easier to find him than Matthew. Also if you meet either Elizabeta and Arthur, inform them of what's going on, especially Arthur since he'll be performing with Gilbert. He'll probably have a better chance spotting Matthew than us." With that, they went their separate ways.

While Yao was canvasing the hall, he spotted Ivan. He was about to turn the other way when he saw Ivan escaping away from him fast. This puzzled him since the Russian never ran away from him with fright on his face. Then he realized Ivan must have thought that Yao was Natalia since he was wearing the white-haired-wig (their sister Katyusha would be performing, so it wasn't any surprise why Ivan assumed that). He wanted to tease him even further to get back for all the times Ivan irritated him, but he sadly thought, '_Ah, I can't. I've more important matters to attend to_.'

Soon after, Yao spotted Elizabeta who was wearing a lovely purple-cocktail-dress. When he pulled her away to a corner, Elizabeta looked to see who tagged her away from the bar. "Hey Natalia, I'm glad to see you could make it". Yao frowned and whispered, "_**How drunk are you that you can't even recognize me, aru**_?"

Focusing more at the other's face, Elizabeta's eyes bulged "_**Yao? What are you doing here and in this attire**_?" When Yao began to illuminate everything, her eyes bulged even further "_**Jaj-istenem, so that's the reason why Matthew wanted a dress from me**_." Yao inquired what she meant to which she explained, "_**Matt came up to me and asked whether he could borrow a summer-dress because he wanted to come to the event but could only go in a dress. I had no idea it was for this reason**_."

Yao raised his eyebrow. "_**For what reason do you think a guy would ask another girl for a dress**_?"

Elizabeta showed an embarrassed smile, "_**I thought Matt was falling for Gilbert, that's why I gave him a yellow-summer-dress because yellow is Gil's favourite colour**_."

Yao sighed. "_**I see... Since you let your fantasies run wild, Feliks might end up losing another staffer. How are we going to explain this to him, aru? He'll be thoroughly disappointed in both of us since he left the cafe in my care and you literally gave Matthew the freedom-ticket to leave it**_."

Elizabeta immediately replied, "_**Not if we find him first– that way Feliks doesn't have to know**_." Yao hoped they would get to Matthew before he reaches Gilbert, and they started going through the crowd.

* * *

Lovino at the other side of the hall, was thankful to Arthur for giving those etiquette lessons on how to act like a girl. Everyone who attended his college were there but nobody seemed to recognize him. Infact, he was hit on a couple-of-times by his batchmates. Hitting them away, he bumped into someone. Before he could reprimand the other to watch it, he heard, "Ve, I'm sorry."

Looking up, Lovino saw his brother whom he hadn't seen for more than a week. He wanted to first slap and then hug him for not coming home, but all he could say was, "Fe-Feliciano?"

Feliciano cocked his head. "Do we know each other?"

Quickly snapping himself out of his trance, Lovino replied in a feminine tone, "I know your brother Lovino. That's how I know you."

Feliciano face brightened when he heard that. "Really? You know my fratello? Then that must mean you're nice person. What's your name?"

Lovino was surprised by the complement but once again, he couldn't think of a good name to give and he didn't want to say Lovina since it sounded so close to his real name. "Friends call me Romana."

Feliciano smiled even more. "Ve, that's an unusual but pretty name."

'_It's unusual because it's not real, idiot_', Lovino thought while being amazed at how his brother saw the good-in-anything. This was one on the reasons why he wanted to protect Feliciano from everything since he felt that his brother was naive. However, he realized the last couple days, it looked like Feliciano was able to take care of himself, seeing he was still the chirpy energetic brother whom he grew up.

Then Feliciano broke his thoughts when he asked, "Is there something wrong?"

Lovino shook his head, "I'm a new to all this, so I'm not sure what's going on"

Happy at the prospect of being useful, Feliciano took Lovino's hand. "Ve, I'll show you around." Feliciano started introducing his brother as Romana to all their batchmates. Lovino at that moment, wanted to go hide under a rock since it looked like he was being put out on display but when he felt Feliciano's strong yet reassuring grip on his hand, he slightly relaxed. He later felt Feliciano grip tighten harder- when he was going to ask what was wrong, his brother pulled him closer to the stage.

Finally when they were a few metres away from the stage, Feliciano said in excitement, "The Edelweiss Orchestra is going to perform." He started pointing out who-was-who onstage, "See, the beautiful brunette holding the wand is Roderich, the Conductor for this group."

"The little blond girl on the far right who is holding the harp is Vreneli Zwingli. Her brother Vash is that guy standing in the crowd." Lovino turned to look at whom his brother was pointing at and saw a young blond man with bob-haircut. He had his arm around Bella who Lovino knew was the one who had provided them their wigs and was also Orlando's sister. What really caught Lovino's attention was the gun-holster around his waist. '_How the f*ck was he able to get that in here_?'

"The one next to Vreneli, holding the string-bass-violin is Berwald. He looks scary wearing those glasses but he's actually a nice guy", Lovino agreed the blond did look scary especially when there was another short blond person on his other side, who looked so meek, "Ve, that little guy with the flute is Tino. I'm sure you wouldn't believe it but those two are dating."

It's true, Lovino couldn't believe that information but before he could say anything, his brother continued, "Next, the cellist is Katyusha, a sweet girl but gets extremely nervous." Lovino, watching her, realized she must be Ivan's sister since she had the same hair colour and body-stature but looked less intimidating with that genuine smile.

Lovino was waiting for Feliciano to continue more introductions but he suddenly became quiet. Looking at Feliciano, he saw the other staring in one direction with a sad expression. When he turned to observe what brought on such a reaction from his twin, he saw a tall blond German joining on the stage, holding his violin and sitting in the middle of the whole group.

Of course, more people came to the stage to complete the Orchestra but it looked liked Feliciano didn't want to say anything more, so Lovino remained silent as well watching the rest of them tune their instruments. When they were ready, Roderich gave the signal and the group started performing. After they finished performing their piece, the huge hall erupted with cheers and bravos.

Lovino saw his brother's face was filled with admiration along with a few tears falling off from his eyes. Turning to look to the stage, Lovino saw Ludwig was now standing alone holding his violin. The German gave one last look at Feliciano before playing a musical piece which sounded like a soulful romantic balled song meant for two star-crossed lovers. Feliciano after being silent for so long, whispered to Lovino, "_**This song will bring closure to the bond I've with that man, Ludwig**_."

Lovino surprised by that revelation. "_**Closure? Why**_?"

"_**My fratello** **doesn't approve of my relationship with Ludwig**_," Wiping his tears away, Feliciano continued, "_**This was one of the reasons why I didn't go home. I couldn't bear to see the look of disappointment in my fratello's face, so I decided to spend these last few days with my beloved before breaking it off completely**_."

When Lovino asked why he would do something that was clearly hurting him, Feliciano sniffed and stated "_**Even though I love Ludwig, I love my fratello more because he's my family. We've been each other's support-system for a long time. If there is anything that will upset him, then I'll make sure to reduce it since I care for him**_."

Lovino couldn't believe Feliciano would put aside his happiness just so that it would please him even though he was in sorrow. At that moment, he felt like a selfish-pig, so he said "_**Feliciano, I know for a fact that your brother isn't disappointed in you. Infact, he's more disappointed in himself for acting the way he did towards you**_." Feliciano looked to see if the other was lying but Lovino replied sincerely, "_**Please believe when I say that he wishes for nothing but your happiness**. **Right now, all he wants to do is hug you and tell you how sorry he is. So, after you're done meeting with your boyfriend, go home and have a talk with your brother, okay**_?"

Feliciano nodded while smiling, still teary-eyed, "Ve, I knew that since you knew my fratello, you must be a nice person & I was right," and hugged him.

After Ludwig played his piece, Lovino pushed his brother to meet the German telling Feliciano that he'll be fine since he came along with some friends. '_I swear I'll crush Potato Bastard's wurst if he ever breaks my fratello's heart_.'

While he watched Feliciano leave, a suave voice announced, "If you keep hugging random guys, you'll make Tonio jealous." Lovino grimaced after turning to see Francis standing near him. '_Dammit, it's mega-pervert. That's so what I don't need right now_!'

* * *

Before Lovino could tell Francis to take a hike, Gilbert voice bellowed. "WAZZAP everyone. Are you having a good time." The crowd cheered back.

Lovino saw Gilbert, Arthur, Mathias & couple of other students onstage- each one having a different instrument, '_Well, it's the basic metal-rock-band-setup with bass, drums, electric-guitar, keyboard but why the f*ck does Mathias have a saxophone_?'. Gilbert cackled loudly which made Lovino wonder whether he was alright in the head. The German replied, "Well, get ready to have your world rocked.. HIT IT"

Francis & Lovino watched the group perform a powerful metal-rock-number and when Gilbert grabbed hold of the microphone, he started singing in German- even though most of the crowd didn't understand what he said, they cheered even more, bobbing their heads to the beat of the music. Their enthusiasm was so infectious that Lovino forgot he was standing next to someone who he had previously termed as 'mega-pervert'. He also forgot the real reason why he was at the event: he just got caught up in the whole thing.

Sometime later, Francis must have noticed Lovino let his guard down because he grabbed Lovino's hand and pulled him. The Italian was confused as to what was going on but before he returned to his senses, Francis said "Mon ami, look what I found."

Lovino watched in horror as the man infront of them turned around. Antonio was in a graphic-tee with brown graphics and dark wash jeans: he was sporting the semi-rocker-flair without the typical black leather belts and chains. "Mi Cielo! You look lovely", he chimed while giving Lovino a hug.

Trying to escape Antonio's strong hold, Lovino growled, "Let go, you stupid jerk!" and saying even more colourful language while threatening to break him in half if the Spaniard didn't release him immediately. Francis watched their interaction with merriment.

Not taking into account at how many insults Lovino was spewing, Antonio replied, "I knew some day my love would reach your heart. You finally agreed to come." Lovino spat out that he didn't come to see Antonio which was the truth- the only reason why Lovino came was to look for Matthew but he got side-tracked when he met Feliciano. As soon as Antonio heard that, he finally released his hold and with a hurt look, he asked, "So, who did you come to see?"

Again before Lovino could say anything, he heard Gilbert roaring, "I hope you enjoyed that awesome piece. Next up, it's my buddy Arthur's turn."

Lovino watched Arthur who was in a white vest and blue-skinny-jeans, give his guitar to someone else before attaching a mic on himself which meant his hands were now free. He left the stage and went to the dancefloor below: Lovino noticed a small group of boys & girls assembling behind Arthur. '_That must be his dancing troupe_.'

Arthur looked at the crowd, and was startled to see his colleague near Francis & Antonio. '_WHAT THE! Why is Lovino here as Lovina_? _What's going on_?' He then shook his head and switched his mic on. "Before I start performing, I would like to choose a dance-partner from the crowd. Any volunteers?"

The Italian noted that though Arthur was dressed in normal clothes, he was oozing sex-appeal: Lovino saw almost all the girls present took one step forward. However he couldn't observe who Arthur would choose as his dance-partner because Antonio kept pulling his arm, trying to get his attention. "While Arthur is choosing his selection, why don't you become my dance-partner?"

Lovino slapped his hand away. "F*ck no, I've better things to do."

This time, the Parisian wasn't watching the exchange between Antonio and the Italian, because he saw Arthur approaching them. '_Is petit lapin coming towards moi_?'. Francis was almost certain Arthur would select him since the Brit was now only a few inches away. But instead of choosing him, Arthur grabbed a hold of the redhead's hand who was still bickering with Antonio to notice what was happening. Francis then watched as he proceeded to take her away.

* * *

Finding himself on the dancefloor, Lovino hissed asking Arthur what he was doing. The Brit whispered while covering the mic with his palm, "_**Either it's dancing with me or you being with Antonio- you choose**_." Lovino looked to where Antonio was and thought both choices weren't beneficial to him, but being with Arthur, felt like the safer option knowing how the Spaniard felt about him. When Lovino voiced his concern that he wasn't a great dancer, Arthur smiled, "_**Don't worry. Just remember the steps I taught before and you'll fit right in**_." But when the other dancers took their positions, Arthur winked at him, "_**Besides lass, it's your favourite song**_."

Lovino's eyes widen in shock, whispering "_**You-son-of-b*tch**_". Arthur gave a slight chortle and signaled Gilbert's band to start playing.

As the Brit sang: Call me good, call me bad , Lovino while dancing with him, thought, '_There are far more worse words I want to call you right now_.' This was a song that Arthur sometimes sang to himself in the cafe- it was the Wham's single 'I'm Your Man' which was very suggestive. And sure enough when he heard Arthur seductively chant: If you gonna do it, do it right- Right! Do it with me , Lovino received a heartattack. '_Do WHAT with you, dammit_!'

Arthur must've noticed Lovino's inner-turmoil because he had even a more playful expression, as if he enjoyed teasing the other. The Brit danced closer to Lovino, touching his cheek and then sang with longing: So good, you're divine. Wanna take you, wanna make you but they tell me it's a crime. Everybody knows where the good people go. But where we're going baby, ain't no such word as NO .

Though he was stunned by his audaciousness, Lovino was still able to see the dancing-pairs behind Arthur, did more steps than him but Lovino figured since the Brit was singing, he couldn't dance as much as them. However he noted Arthur was a superior dancer because while he was singing, he was dancing and twirling the Italian around, making sure Lovino would look like a good dancer- at that moment, he was thankful that Arthur had earlier taught him some steps, otherwise he would have looked like a fish-out-of-water on the dancefloor.

Lovino also noted Arthur had a very sultry voice, especially when the Brit came up dancing behind him and crooned near his ear: First class information, I'll be your sexual inspiration. And with some stimulation, we can do it right . While Arthur was crooning, Lovino tried not to but really wanted to elbow him in the tummy- however when he heard Mathias onstage playing the saxophone, he threw restraint into the air and soon, started to enjoy dancing with Arthur who also looked like he was having fun as they went around the dancefloor.

Watching the two, Francis thought, '_Eh bien, Arthur surely is sex-on-legs especially when he sings, but this time, there is something-else developing_' and warned, "Tonio, hurry up and make that redhead fall for you. Or you'll miss your chance." When Antonio asked why he thought that, Francis replied, "Just observe them closely."

Antonio wasn't sure what Francis was implying- he noted while the two were now surrounded in a circle by other dance-pairs, Arthur had placed his hands on Lovina's hips and she had her hands on his shoulders. But the thing that surprised Antonio the most was, Lovina had a content look on her face. In all the dates that they have gone together, not once had he see her like this: she either had a scowl or a frown. But there she was dancing like that with someone, other than him, who was serenading to her about being her man. '_Does this mean that she's falling for Arthur? OVER MY DEAD BODY_!'

Also observing Arthur & Lovino rocking on the dancefloor, were Yao and Elizabeta. He wasn't pleased. "_**I can understand why Arthur is on the dancefloor but what is Lovino doing? This is no ****time for him to be shaking his booty, aru**_..."

Elizabeta wasn't listening to Yao rant. She just looked back and forth from Antonio & Francis, then to Lovino & Arthur. With a smile, she pointed out, "You know, I think our workplace is slowly turning into a love tub- everyone who comes there, gets set up with someone."

Hitting her slightly on the head, Yao scolded, "Aiyaa, you're letting your fantasies run wild again!"

x

**A/N:** Opps, Lovino is slightly OOC since Romano would be glad if Veneziano stops talking to Germany, but hopefully showing Lovino finally accepting their relationship, makes him grow as a character ... Gilbert's song was Megaherz's single '5 Marz' & Arthur's song was Wham's single 'I'm Your Man' (it's a straightforward song of seduction: so imagine what initially is going through Lovino's mind when Arthur suggestively sings it to him ^0^)

Guide= Viet & XiaoMei - Vietnam & Taiwan; Vash & Vreneli - Switzerland & Liechtenstein; Tino & Berwald - Finland & Sweden; Mathias Densen - Denmark


	10. Chapter 10

**THE CAFE OF DOUBLE LIVES...**

**Chapter 10  
**

After the song was over, Lovino understood why Arthur loved performing: the excitement coupled with adrenaline-rush while feeding off the energy from the crowd was addictive. Since he still feeling a little high from that experience, at the end of the song he hadn't noticed that Arthur brought his hand of his lips. Only when the Brit had kissed the back of his hand did it register to him, what had just happened.

Lovino was about to whack Arthur's face for doing such a thing when he noticed the envy of the girls present in the crowd. '_F*ck, why do they look like they're going to kill me_?' He decided to test a hypothesis- Lovino leaned on Arthur and glanced at them. They in turn showed more looks of envy, '_MisterGentleman is popular, isn't he_' and he smirked knowing none of them had a chance since Arthur was straight-as-a-bow.

While he was noticing the girls, Lovino hadn't notice the gaze of a certain Spaniard who was watching how cosy the Italian and Arthur looked together. Turning to Francis, Antonio said, "I think I'll heed your advice." The Parisian inquired how Antonio would handle the situation. Antonio replied, "Por supesto, by killing the competition!"

Francis would have laughed it off if he hadn't seen the burning-passion to KILL in his friends' eyes. Immediately Francis proceeded to drag him away, trapping his arms behind the Spaniard. Speaking with difficulty since Antonio was trying to break free from his grasp, "D-don't be t-too hasty, Tonio."

"Release me. He's touching MI MUJER!" Antonio shouted which attracted the attention of the others who became curious after seeing their antics.

Taking him to one-side, Francis pleaded in a whisper, "_**Let's approach this rationally, s'il vous plaît. I'll have a talk with Arthur while you speak with her, d'accord**_?" and hoped his best-friend wouldn't maim the petit-lapin.

At the other side of the hall, Lovino was waiting for Arthur to give his mic to an acquaintance when he heard, "I hope you're having fun."

Lovino thought it was one of the jealous fangirls who came to chat with him. While turning around, Lovino replied in a feminine tone, "Actually, I kind of a-ah." He couldn't complete that sentence because he saw Yao's angry expression. He also saw Elizabeta standing next to Yao with a big smile on her face, so he wasn't sure whether he would first get praised for his performance or be shouted at. But when he heard Yao sighing, he knew he was going to get an ear-full.

"_**For someone who earlier didn't want to come to the event, you sure are having a gala time. We're on a ticking clock here- we don't have the luxury to do other stuff, aru**_..." Yao kept reprimanding Lovino till Arthur came to where they were.

Surprised to also find Yao as YanYan, Arthur stated, "_**Ok, before you guys explain what exactly is going on here, could someone please tell me why Yao is so-cheesed-off**_?" When Lovino said it was because he was on the dancefloor, Arthur replied, "_**Oh well, that's my fault actually. I saw Antonio wasn't leaving Lovino alone, so I swooped in and rescued him from that situation. But since I had announced earlier that I needed a dance-partner, when I took him away it looked like I had selected him: it would've left a bad taste in everyone's mouth if I left him alone after that**_." Arthur hoped this explanation would calm down Yao, which it did.

The Italian turned to Arthur, "_**Yea, thanks for that, but I'm never doing it again**_."

Arthur looked disappointed, "_**Don't say that. You were great out there. I was surprised by how well you danced**_." Lovino snorted but one could see a slight blush when he said the Brit was lying. Arthur then shook his head and proclaimed with genuineness in his voice, "**_I'm not lying. If you weren't in the art-field, I would have dragged your arse to the music-dept_**."

Looking at the ground, Lovino replied, "_**C..Coming from a good performer like you, I guess it's means something**_", trying to hide his now-slightly-rosy face while Arthur kept praising him. Lovino soon said a few complements of his own in return.

Observing their interaction with curiosity, Yao pondered, '_Since when have these two become so close? I mean, they were on a friendly-basis before but not like this, aru_.'

Even Elizabeta had the same reaction as she watched the duo converse, '_What's this? Kiku referred to both of them as 'Tsundere', right? So has a tsundere-power-couple been formed? But they both look like nekos. Who will be the seme here? Várj-egy-percet, is this the legendary 'Reversible-Couple-pairing' which Kiku talked about. How marvelous_' and snickered.

Yao eyed Elizabeta warily after she started going 'Fufufufu' because it meant she was letting her fantasies take control of her mind again. Deciding they wasted enough time already, he cut in. "_**Sorry to interrupt but we've stuff to do, aru**_."

Arthur stopped talking with Lovino, to inquire, "_**Yeah, I've been meaning to ask: why the bloody hell are you both in drag**_?" When Yao explained what all happened during the course of the evening, Arthur finally replied, "_**I see, that's why you tried to call me earlier, since Gilbert would've been with me**_." Then he looked intentively towards the crowd "_**I saw Gilbert awhile ago near the bar but it looks like he isn't there anymore. I guess our best bet to find Matilda is to split-up and canvas the whole room**_." The other three nodded and did exactly that.

* * *

While Arthur was searching for any possible sighting of Gilbert or Matthew, a known figure stood infront of him. "I've to congratulate on your performance tonight. It was magnifique."

Focusing his line of vision, Arthur saw Francis looking absolutely blooming with his sublime beauty: skin as white as snow, hair as golden as the sun, eyes that resembled sapphires and his lips were coral-pink. He later shook his head, '_The only reason why he seems appealing is because I'm looking at him through rose-tinted glasses_' and convinced himself that this was the real reason.

Arthur was never sure how to converse with Francis since there wasn't really any closure established between them. He remembered it was easier talking to Alfred (though Arthur regretted for not keeping in contact with his ex, otherwise he would've known about Michelle) but with Francis- his relationship with the passionate man ended on the most romantic day of the year in the least loving way imaginable, '_the irony_'.

The Brit broke himself out of his thoughts and said, "What do you want, frog?"

"Can't a gentlemen such as myself give his compliments?" Francis asked.

Arthur couldn't stop himself from being curt with him, because he was still irked by the scene where he saw Francis flirting with the others. "Not if the compliments aren't sincere enough and coming from you, I doubt they are."

Francis dramatically clutched the place where his heart is. "Oh mon cher, you wound me so."

"You'll live," Arthur flatly responded, "Now if you excuse me, I've better things to do than to listen you drivel on", and started walking away.

As he tried to move, Francis quickly stepped infront of him again, "Before you go, I need to talk to you about something." Arthur wouldn't have bothered to listen if he hadn't sensed the urgency in his voice- so, he asked what it was. Francis stated, "That redhead you danced with, is quite interesting, non?" Arthur stared at Francis, wondering what part of that sentence sounded like it was urgent. He went on saying, "Tonio seems to think so and from what I saw tonight, even I agree to that."

Arthur frowned, "Remember when I said I've better things to do than to listen you drivel on? I wasn't joking."

Francis smiled, "Je sais. What I'm trying to say is- let Tonio have the redhead since he's quite taken by her."

The Brit couldn't believe the insolence of his statement. "Her name is not redhead. It's Lovino-aa... Lovina." Arthur scolded himself for that minor mishap & continued, "And you're telling me to let Antonio have Lovina? First-of-all, she isn't mine, we're just friends. Second-of-all, she isn't a commodity to own. It's entirely upto her whether she wants to be with him or not."

Stroking his chin, Francis stated, "Just friends? Talk about being politically correct."

Arthur narrowed his eyes at him, "What are trying to imply?"

Francis answered, "Well, you seem rather defensive and protective about the redh-désolé-Lovina." Arthur scoffed, saying he was being ridiculous for saying such things, but he replied, "It would explain why are you getting upset when she is brought up. I can see why. She's like a rose with thorns, oui? Even though she puts up a tough exterior, she looks very delicate as if she could break any moment: makes anyone want to be her knight-in-shining-armour."

Arthur was surprised how Francis had assessed Lovino like that. Even though he hadn't been in much contact with him, the Parisian was able to break down the Italian's personality so easily. Francis later declared, "Pas de soucis. If anything bad happens between them, I'll be there."

Hearing Francis say that, Arthur felt rattled. '_Be there? Be there for what? To pick the pieces after Antonio is done playing? No, don't jump to conclusions. That's not what he meant... Besides, they have no clue that Lovina is Lovino, so it's not like either-of-them can get close to him_.' However, the smile which Francis was giving him wasn't helping. '_Wait, so what if Lovina is a boy. Francis swings either way, the bloody wanker_!'

Now Arthur was getting pissed- one of the reasons why he chose Lovino to dance with him, apart from saving the Italian from Antonio, was to make Francis feel jealous. '_That seems to be a failure since it didn't affect him the way I wanted. Instead I think I might have made him more interested in someone-else_.' He then threw an angry stare at Francis before leaving.

The Parisian though was confused, '_Cher Dieu, what did I say to bring on that reaction_?'

* * *

Meanwhile Lovino was dealing with Antonio who had ambushed him from nowhere, "If you go down that road with him, you'll end up with nothing but heartache." Antonio was trying to warn the Italian about how complicated a relationship with Arthur would become after seeing what happened between Francis and the Brit, but Lovino couldn't get what he was saying with all the music playing in the background.

"I didn't understand a f*cking word you just said. Who are you talking about? Which road? And why do you make it sound like I'm in peril? Urgh, it doesn't matter cause whatever happens I can take care of myself!" Lovino replied sharply while looking around to see if Gilbert or Matthew were around.

Antonio not phased out by the other's retort. "Whatever you're looking for, I provide much more than him."

"Oieeeeee, who are you referring to, dammit!" When he heard Antonio mention Arthur's name, Lovino felt agitated. '_Ok, even though I asked for it, why is Arthur being brought up_?'

But Lovino couldn't dwell on it any further since he had pressing matters to attend to. Almost close to losing his composure, Lovino stated while staring at Antonio's face, "I'm sure you're a nice guy but now, I really can't spend my time talking to you."

Antonio showed a look of an abandoned-puppy when he heard that. "Por qué? Is Arthur the reason why you don't want to spend time with me."

Lovino finally snapped in distress, "NO, it's not Arthur, it's Yao who will kill me if he sees me standing idly by", he cringed slightly for slipping Yao's name out but he figured it didn't matter.

However, Antonio was dumbfounded. "Yao, the arts-senior? What does he have to do with all this?" This time, Lovino didn't have a response since he really didn't know how to answer that question. He could see his silence was upsetting the Spaniard who inquired, "Is Yao pursuing you too?"

Lovino was seriously not expecting that question. "Hah? Where did that come from? F*cking hell, it sounds like you're talking Greek to me."

Antonio looked very confused and replied worryingly, "But I don't know Greek."

The Italian covered his face with his hands. He realized whatever he said at this moment wouldn't reach the Spaniard because for some reason, Antonio was in a state-of-panic and it felt like the more Lovino talked, the more paranoid Antonio got. He later heard the other say, "We haven't been in contact for awhile and I missed you, mi corazón."

'_There are many reasons for that- mainly because you keep using those f*cking mushy pet-names_!' Still covering his face, Lovino prayed, '_Fine, if God doesn't want to help me, then Satan, please send anyone to get me out of this situation_.' As if on cue to his prayer, he felt someone had snaked their arm around his waist, hugging him. Turning to his left to bark at the person who dared to touch him, Lovino was surprised to see Arthur who said, "Excuse me Antonio, but I need to borrow Lovina."

'_Woah, I wasn't expecting Satan to step up. Did he really send this guy to help me_?' Lovino could see the disapproval in Antonio's face but before the Spaniard could formulate a response, Arthur took him away.

While they were walking, Arthur stated, "You better stick with me- in that way, you can stay away from both Antonio and Francis." Lovino looked at him and saw Arthur seemed sad. He was about to ask what was wrong but decided not to, sensing the Brit wouldn't want to talk about it anyway.

Watching them leave, Antonio was fuming: he couldn't believe the nerve of that Brit stealing her away like that. He was about to confront Arthur when he felt someone had a firm grip on his hand, so he couldn't move. Looking back, he saw Francis there who asked if he had any luck with the Italian.

Antonio shook his head. "Nada! Before I could declare anything significant to Lovina, Arthur intervened. However I now found out that it's not only Arthur who is after her." Francis was intrigued and let Antonio continue. "It seems Yao, the arts student is after her too."

Francis staring at them. "Oh, she's very popular. Maybe she has some special talents, non?"

In a sweet but malevolent tone, Antonio stated, "Mi amigo, you better not be after her too."

The Parisian shuddered slightly and later put his arm around Antonio's shoulder, "Je vous le promets, that redhead is all yours." He prayed Arthur wouldn't do anything extra to incur Antonio's wrath because he knew what would happen if the Spaniard was pushed too far- Francis really didn't want the Brit to get hurt, so he told Antonio to focus on the Italian while he decided to himself to keep Arthur far away from the other as possible.

* * *

After regrouping again, Yao was even more stressed, since none-of-them were able to locate either Gilbert or Matthew. '_Where are they hiding, aru? Aiyaa, I hope we find them before they meet each other. If not, Feliks is going to be a sad man again_.'

At Paris, walking outside next to the boutiques with Orlando, Feliks wearing a lavender-coloured beret, sneezed. He didn't stop until he sneezed twice again, "Excuse me." The Dutchman questioned whether he was catching a cold. Arranging his hair in a low-ponytail, Feliks answered while wiggling his nose, "I don't think so. Maybe it's causing I'm wearing a skirt." He then proceeded to lift said-skirt up a little too high for Orlando's comfort. "Teehee, I guess my body isn't used to being outside in one of these since I only wear skirts at home: it feels a bit breezy under there."

Orlando cleared his throat. "I've never worn a skirt before but I'm pretty sure, almost flashing the world your underwear is not something you're suppose to do while in one."

Putting the skirt down, Feliks said. "Opps, sorry. I didn't mean to, like, scar you. I got carried away. I guess the freedom to wear it totally got to me." With a happy face, he revealed, "I'm in bliss right now. Apart from you who I of course trust, I don't have to, like, worry whether I might run into someone I know here- so, I wouldn't mind a sneeze or two as long as I get to wear my skirts without any fear."

Smiling at Feliks' cheerfulness, Orlando later stated while they were walking towards a fountain nearby, "You know, Kiku once mentioned to me that if a person sneezes, then someone is thinking about them." Looking at Orlando with his curiosity piqued, Feliks replied, "Really? I wonder who it might be? Maybe it's Toris. I should check my phone to see if he had sent a reply."

Orlando whispered "_**You naturally assumed it was him**_." Since Feliks was checking his cellphone, he didn't see the look on Orlando's face who asked, "You're quite close to Toris, aren't you?"

Snapping his phone shut, the blond replied, "Duh, we've been like best-friends for ages." Orlando inquired, "So, does that mean if you were to make important decisions in your life, you'll always go to Toris?"

Feliks got on to the edge of the fountain, and started walking on the brick-pavement, balancing himself. "Well, it's always been like that. But there was one decision that I made totally on my own without his insight or advice." He then stood right infront of Orlando. Since he was on the edge of the fountain, his face now reached Orlando's height. He proudly declared, "That decision was making you as my fashion partner-in-crime for the cafe and I think it was, totally like one of the best decisions that I had made in my life."

Before Orlando could voice his opinion, Feliks jumped to the ground and twirled around once with excitement. "I can't wait for it to become nightfall." Orlando looked confused when the blond just suddenly said that, but when Feliks added, "To think we got tickets to go for another important Fashion show and that too, front-row seats again. I guess that's one of the many perks of having parents who belong to the fashion world", Orlando thought while shaking his head, _'Oh, so that's what he meant. He sure knows how to jump from one topic to another_.'

Feliks on the other hand, was remembering the first time when he heard that Orlando came from a background where his father was a famous fashion-designer and his mother works for one of the fashion magazines from the 'Bonnefoy Publishing Empire'. He didn't believe it atfirst but later changed his mind when he found how creative Orlando was in designing. '_I guess it runs in the genes_.'

While they sat on one of the benches present near the fountain, Feliks stifled a little laugh. When Orlando asked what was funny, the blond replied, "Though we're like going to various totally rad Fashion shows almost every-other-day and receiving some info on how to go about with our latest project, I'm getting the feeling that we're actually enjoying ourselves rather than doing our report. But I'm not complaining. I'm so glad we decided to come here."

Not making eyecontact with Feliks, Orlando replied while covering his face with his scarf, "It's good to know you're enjoying yourself here, but I was hoping Paris wouldn't be our final destination. I would've liked to have shown you my hometown as well."

Feliks mused that Orlando was feeling chilly since his face was slightly tinted, "Why? Is it because Cannabis is legal there?"

With that question, Orlando scrunched his face and looked at the blond. "The pot jokes never get old for you, do they?"

Feliks teased, "If you keep making those faces, they won't." But he stopped teasing the moment, Orlando took some cards out of his coat-pocket. Feliks eyed them with interest, "What are those?"

Orlando stood up and waved the cards, answering nonchalantly, "These are gift-certificates to the YSL & Chanel stores for free stuff but since you keep saying those jokes, I guess I should just throw them away." Immediately, Feliks got up from his seat and said, "I promise I'll never make a pot joke again. Pretty please, can I have them?"

Feliks saw the brunette contemplating for awhile before giving a small smile and offering the gift-certificates to him. When the blond asked how he got them, Orlando replied he knew how much the other likes their products- so, he asked his mother and she gave him these. Like a kid on a Christmas morning, Feliks took them with gratitude and then tagging his batchmate along, he rushed towards those stores.

x

**A/N:** According to Japanese superstition if a person sneezes- once, something good is being said about that person; twice, something bad is being said; thrice, it means someone in love with them; & more than 3, means you're catching a cold ^_^


	11. Chapter 11

**THE CAFE OF DOUBLE LIVES...**

**Chapter 11  
**

While the rest of the gang were searching inside the building, it never crossed their minds to search outside because if they did, they would have found what they were looking for.

Gilbert decided it was best to leave the building since it was too noisy to have a decent conversation. Now standing outside, he was still stumped. '_Gott, this wasn't what I was expecting_.' Standing infront of him, was a gorgeous creature in a yellow dress. One of the reasons why Gilbert made the deal about meeting Matthew's sister was because he had a suspicion that Matthew was Matilda. He had no other way to prove it other than making the challenge where Matthew didn't have to replace that cellphone if he meets Matilda at the event. Never-in-a-million-years did he think it would actually happen. '_Either Matthew has, like Antonio says, cojones grande to show up at a crowded show in a dress or Matilda really is his sister_. _Maybe I should have said both Matthew and Matilda should be there at the same time... Che, now I can't retract anything back since I'm a man of my word_.'

Matthew on the other hand felt absolutely ridiculous. When he had asked Elizabeta for an outfit, not only did she give him a dress, she also gave him open-toed-stilettos. '_Even though she called them 'get-laid-shoes', I still decided to wear them_.' He realized at the event, Elizabeta wasn't joking when she gave those shoes that name: the amount of the attention he got at the event was overwhelming. It felt different than when he was at the cafe, '_Maybe the reason why I didn't find it daunting to be in a dress at the cafe was because I had the others with me_.'

Earlier in the evening –when he approached Gilbert who was busy at the bar– Matthew had never seen him looking so bowled over. '_He really wasn't expecting 'Matilda' to come, eh_.' Back when Gilbert made the challenge at the salon, even without Lovino's insistence, Matthew had already made up his mind to come here- though he was a timid person, he never shied away from challenges. Maybe it was because of this attitude, that he was still good at hockey.

Deciding to tease Gilbert, Matthew inquired in a feminine tone, "Is something the matter? You normally aren't this quiet compared to when you're at the cafe."

Gilbert opened and closed his mouth before saying, "You look beautiful, so I was tongue-tied". Matthew thought, '_Is that the best you can come with_?' and proceeded to show a skeptical face.

The crimson-eyed man tried to look convincing by stating, "Well, it's true. Most of the other guys inside whispered to me asking who this Elizabeth Taylor look-alike was." Surprised, Matthew asked why they made such comments. Gilbert replied, "It's cause like Taylor in her youthful days, you're a hottie with jet-black hair and pretty violet eyes."

Hearing those compliments, Matthew blushed but when he heard him saying, "Though, I prefer blond hair with violet eyes," Matthew wanted to laugh out loud because Gilbert was giving him a rather particular look.

'_That's so cute! Does he actually think with that statement, I'll remove my wig and say I've blond hair_?' Matthew tried his best to appear calm without snickering but it was hard to maintain it because they both were playing the 'I-know-that-you-know-that-I-know' game. However Gilbert was on the losing side since he couldn't prove Matilda is Matthew and it seemed to drive him nuts to resort to saying statements like that.

* * *

Meanwhile back inside the building, the gang decided to give up their search and informed Natalia & Toris about it. Instead of joining the crowd like the couple did- Lovino, Arthur, Yao, Elizabeta and Roderich (who recently joined them in their search) hanged around at the far end.

Yao sighed sadly, "Well, atleast we gave it our all in trying to find them, aru."

Elizabeta, Roderich and Arthur asked in unison, "Yao, are you going to get all sentimental again?" When Lovino inquired what they meant, Arthur answered, "When Toris left, Feliks wasn't the only one who was depressed. Though Yao acts motherly-at-times, when Toris announced he was leaving with Natalia, Yao looked like a father who was giving his daughter away."

The Chinese senior gave the stink eye for those comments. "Don't tell me you didn't feel sad when Toris decided to leave."

Arthur replied, "I did but when I saw how happy Toris was with Natalia, I just wished him the best. I mean, look at them: he's positively radiant while she doesn't look as psychotic as she normally does." They all turned to watch the crowd and sure enough, Toris did look like he was in seventh-heaven dancing close to Natalia while she didn't look like she was going murder anyone anytime soon.

Elizabeta in Roderich's arms, gave her opinion, "I do understand where Yao is coming from. To me, it feels everyone who at the cafe is like my extended family- hence when someone leaves, a part of me leaves with them..."

Lovino listening to all the comments, then asked, "So, Feliks being sad wasn't the only reason you guys were searching for Matthew? You all didn't want another 'family member' to leave?" He got a nod from them in response.

After awhile Yao turned to Lovino. "We would react the same way if we knew you were leaving too. I know this is a little late to say, but welcome to our family, aru." As the others were giving him the same wishes, Roberto's words echoed in Lovino's mind, '_You never have to feel like you're alone because there are others around who you can consider family as well_.'

Getting those wishes, Lovino, for the first time in days, actually didn't feel alone but he couldn't bask in that feeling for long since he felt Arthur squeezing his palm. When Lovino was about to ask what was wrong, he saw him staring with a serious expression at the crowd. Turning to see at what Arthur was looking at, he saw Francis and Antonio apparently searching for someone. It was obvious to him who they were looking for, so, he was thankful when the Brit immediately stood infront of him- it seemed like Arthur was shielding Lovino from them.

Francis canvasing the crowd, spotted Arthur with Lovino and frowned. '_He says he isn't protective about that redhead but there he is, proving otherwise. If Tonio sees this, he'll erupt_.' He had pretty much earlier stopped a confrontation from happening between his best-friend & his former lover and he wanted to make sure it stayed that way. So, pointing to a completely different location, he said, "Mon ami, I just spotted your cherie. Let's go," and took the oblivious Antonio in that direction.

Seeing them go away, Lovino whispered "_**Do you think he saw us**_?" Arthur shrugged his shoulders but before he could respond, Yao shrieked.

"Aiyaa, Ivan has just met up with Toris and Natalia. I bet you 10-to-nothing she's telling her Bratishka that I'm here." Lovino turned to look at where the couple were- he saw Ivan was in conversation with his sister, who later started scanning the crowd. Yao stated, "I don't know about you guys, but this is my cue to leave, aru"

"_**We should go too before those dolts reach here**_." Arthur looked at Lovino who agreed to leave. Roderich & Elizabeta felt they had nothing to do either, so they joined the other three.

* * *

After Roderich, Elizabeta & Arthur had put on their coats and got their stuff, they all proceeded to leave the building but before they could walk away from the site, Elizabeta became pale, "_**Istenem, that's Matthew standing there near the lamp-post**_."

Apparently her whisper was loud enough to be heard because the boys exclaimed, "WHAT!" and looked in the direction that Elizabeta pointed: they were stunned to see Matthew wearing the yellow-summer-dress which she mentioned before. It looked like he was still in conversation with Gilbert.

The Italian said in a frustrated tone, "So, they were standing outside the entire time while we were f*cking searching inside!"

Roderich arranged the glasses on his face, "Lovino, please refrain from stating the obvious- it's just that much more depressing when it's said out loud."

Yao slightly covering his mouth with his palm. "Ah, the thought of them being out here never occurred to me, aru."

While Lovino's face was turning red with more frustration, Arthur watched Matthew & Gilbert and then stated, "Well, I guess this means Matthew is leaving for real."

Roderich also observing the scene, questioned "Is it just me or does Gilbert look like he's at a crossroads of his life?" They all decided to intensively watch the silver-haired man and realized Roderich's observation was right: Gilbert did look like he was facing some sort of crisis.

Elizabeta asked, "What do you suppose they are discussing about?" Arthur replied, "Whatever it is, I think we're going to find out soon."

Lovino and the others saw Matthew had noticed the gang standing a few metres away from them. It looked like he excused himself from Gilbert indicating he would be back before approaching the others.

Maybe it was because of the stilettos but as Matthew walked towards them, he did it in a tantalizing yet stylish manner. When he was almost in listening distance, they all started clapping and acting like judges at a Beauty Talent show with Arthur declaring, "I give you a 9 for that cat-walk," joined by Lovino saying, "I give a 9 and a half: you're suited to do a Milan Fashion show," followed by Elizabeta stating, "I give you a 10 for being able to walk like that with my stilettos on," and completed by Roderich who praised, "I've to admit, that was one of most elegant walks I've seen so far."

Matthew curtsied in jest. "Well, one learns these sort of things while working at the cafe."

Yao looked doleful after hearing that. "But you'll be leaving it, correct?"

Matthew asked, "What makes you think I'll doing that, eh?" Yao revealed everything that Lovino had said. Matthew inquired, "Is that the reason why you and Lovino are in your cafe-avatar? You guys left the store immediately because you thought I was going to quit?"

When he saw no-one was giving an answer, Matthew questioned, "Would you all feel sad if that happens?" In response to that question, the others gave their replies saying they will stand by with whatever decision he made but Matthew could see the heavy-heartedness on their faces.

Wearing a small smile, Matthew revealed, "I'm not leaving the cafe. Even after replacing Gilbert's cellphone, I won't leave anytime soon since the pay is good."

* * *

They all were surprised by that revelation. Lovino was the first to speak, "Then why did you come to the event as Matilda if you weren't going to leave in the first place?"

"When Gilbert made the deal, I had a feeling he knew I might be Matilda- otherwise why would he make such an offer while being so smug at the same time. Therefore I decided to show up here to throw Gilbert off which worked." Matthew's statement was true cause when they all turned to look at Gilbert, they saw him in deep thought with a puzzled expression on his face- he seemed genuinely distressed.

Arthur said, "I've never seen him looking like that... So, posing as Matilda was the only reason why you came here, right?"

Matthew chuckled slightly. "Well, you know with Gil, it's like he has this God-complex and feels he's always right. I'm sure if he knew I was Matilda, he would go on about how awesome he was that he figured it out correctly: for that reason, I wanted to rise up to his challenge and mess him up a little in the process." Listening to Matthew, they all realized he had a bit of a passive-aggressive trait.

Looking at them, Matthew now had a sad look. "I'm sure you all must have gone through a lot looking for me. I must have inconvenienced you guys just because I decided to follow one of my whims, and I apologize for that."

Seeing Matthew's unhappy expression, Elizabeta put her hand on his face, "Matt, if this situation was rewound to the very beginning, we wouldn't change a thing- we would still come looking for you. That's how much you mean to us. Right, guys?" The entire group affirmed her declaration. The violet-eyed man smiled in return, saying his thanks.

After talking for awhile, Matthew informed he needed to clear some stuff with Gilbert. The others wished him luck (in messing Gilbert's head more since they felt he deserved it for his cocky attitude) and said they would wait for him.

Matthew went to where Gilbert was and decided to become bolder by asking, "Gilbert, why did you tell Matthew that he didn't need to replace the cellphone if I showed up at the event?"

Gilbert put his hands into his leather-jacket pockets and responded while becoming a little shifty-eyed, "O-oh, I just felt he didn't need to replace it anymore. So, I later decided if Matthew fulfilled some sort of condition that I had put forward, then everything would be sorted out." Titling his head to the other, he continued in a charming manner, "Besides, I really don't need the cellphone anymore since technology is overrated, right?"

Listening to Gilbert, Matthew was unable to believe what he was hearing, '_Technology is overrated? Says the person who wants to have his awesome wedding in outer-space_!' and smiled, '_He's lying through his teeth but because he does it with such boyish-charm, it's easy to forgive him_.' He then said, "I've a message from Matthew– he'll replace your cellphone because he doesn't want to feel indebt to anyone."

Gilbert stared at the other for a few minutes and later nodded but before Matthew could leave, he inquired, "By the way, did you enjoy my awesome performance tonight?"

Matthew replied, "I did but I've a question to ask- what's the name of the song you sang?" When Gilbert replied '5 Marz', he was confused because he knew a bit of German, and from the lyrics that was sung, it felt the song was about a unstable relationship with a lover. "5 Marz as in 5th of March? Does it have any meaning?"

Scratching his head, the crimson-eyed man said, "Actually, I've no idea why that song was called as such." Matthew questioned why he chose that song. Gilbert answered, "5th of March signifies something for Matthew and me."

'_It does? Did a phenomenon happen on that day which I don't know about_.' When Matthew asked what it was, Gilbert smirked saying it was a secret to which he almost groaned. '_Maple, is this another game that we're going to play? Fine, bring it_.' They both said their goodbyes before Matthew went and joined the rest of the gang.

After coming aback from the cafe (Lovino had to change clothes cause he wouldn't dare to go as 'Lovina' to the dorms), Lovino feeling completely exhausted, finally reached his dorm-room.

Waiting for his return in the room was Feliciano. Lovino realized there was no such term as 'awkward silence' concerning his brother because Feliciano immediately gave him a hug and started talking about all what happened in the event and meeting a stunning beauty named Romana which made Lovino grimaced slightly at the very idea that his own brother thought of him like that.

Later they discussed about serious matters concerning Ludwig before Lovino gave his apologies and blessings. Though he warned, "If Potato Bastard crosses the line, I won't hesitate in stabbing his heart."

Feliciano smiled, "Ve, I love you too." When he said that, Lovino wondered whether his brother was actually listening to him but he was too tired to inquire about it, so he didn't pursue it any further.

* * *

Now on Monday, Feliks looking fresh after holidaying in France, asked his employees who were presently in the kitchen, "Were there any problems while I wasn't here?"

The others looked at each other before replying everything ran smoothly like a tight ship. Of course, they didn't feel the need to mention last Friday night, the Oriental first-mate along with the Sicilian navigator decided to leave everything to the Mediterranean cooks when they thought the Canadian strategist was going to abandon ship.

"That's, like, good to know... Oh-la-la, I've pictures from my time in France," Feliks sing-song while fishing out a envelope from his Chanel-bag. After he gave the envelope, he realized there was some stuff that needed to be done in the office, so he left the Kitchen.

Lovino, Arthur, Matthew, Yao and Roderich took turns looking at the pictures. They had to admit Paris looked lovely and envied Feliks for going there. Then Lovino noticed something, "Who's the chick next to Orlando? Instead of Feliks, she's there in almost all the pictures." The others had no clue who this tiny attractive blond girl was– with aviator sunglasses adorning her face, she had her hair in a low ponytail and wore cute skirts. "And what's with the hat on her head?"

Arthur replied "It's called a beret which is usually styled that way. I think it's quite fetching." Lovino asked how he knew about that. The Brit answered, "When your boyfr.. ex-boyfriend is from France, you learn a few things."

Elizabeta arriving to the kitchen, was curious to know why the others were hovering over the table. They replied Feliks had taken pictures from his trip in France. Hearing that, she also wanted to see some of them. Lovino noticed the moment she looked at the pictures, she had a small Cheshire-grin forming on her face.

She looked through the photos while walking towards the door. As soon as she saw the blond approaching, Elizabeta teased, "_**Feliks Husikam, you certainly let your hair down in Paris, didn't you**_?"

Feliks reaching the kitchen door, thought '_I don't like the way she said that_,' and asked, "_**What do you mean**_?" With her grin not dying down, she proceeded to give him the pictures in her grasp. When the Polish senior saw them, he froze momentary before quickly flipping the pictures. He later looked towards the others at the table and screamed, "WAHHHHH, I gave the wrong envelope!" He rushed and grabbed the rest of the photos which were on the table and from his employees before leaving the kitchen.

It took a few minutes for the others to process what just happened and soon dawned on them- Arthur was awestruck while Matthew whispered, "_**Eh, that blond girl next to Orlando, was that**_...?" Yao inquired, "_**You think so too, aru**_?" Roderich gave his insight, "_**Well, it makes sense- one of the reasons why you all are in skirts, might stem from the boss' desire to be in one**_." Lovino asked,** "**_**Aspetta, are you implying that chick is Feliks**_**!**?"

The other four weren't really sure. They realized there was only one person who would be able to confirm that theory. But before they could ask her, they heard Feliks loudly say, "I AM TOTALLY NOT paying you all to just sit on your behinds doing nothing. Get back to work!" The 'waitresses' quickly ran out of the kitchen leaving Elizabeta and Roderich behind.

Elizabeta giggled- she held on to one picture before showing Feliks the rest. Looking at it, she thought, '_Hmm, the only people Feliks swore his crossdressing habit were to Toris and I, yet here he is with Orlando, proudly showing his secret off. Is it just trust established between these two or are there deeper feelings involved?... I guess, we'll find out soon_ _enough_.'

She then decided to keep that picture of Orlando & Feliks giving the most warmest smiles, and left the kitchen after kissing her boyfriend's cheek.

x

**A/N:** Yao here is classified as the firstmate because Feliks [the captain] left the cafe [ship] in his care; Lovino as the navigator since he was the one who informed Yao where Matthew was; Hercules & Adnan were the Mediterranean cooks; and finally Matthew as the strategist (it's canon that he's clever) ... So as to give more focus to Matthew & Gilbert (since they were missing for a looooong time): to explain why the Arthur-Antonio confrontation didn't happen, Francis is shown to have a protective side (hence, he prevented it).


	12. Chapter 12

**THE CAFE OF DOUBLE LIVES...**

**Chapter 12  
**

During the next following weeks, whenever the Bad-Touch-Trio came to the cafe, 'Aretha' would always pull 'Lovina' away from them. So, the Italian didn't serve them for too long: Arthur in a way, helped reduce whatever interaction Lovino had with the three. This became a daily occurrence that even the other employees working there started to take notice.

On a Monday evening, Elizabeta wearing the Angel-costume (a sleeveless knee-length white dress along with wings which she found delightfully adorable) noted the bond between 'Aretha' and 'Lovina' was upsetting Antonio since he had no luck in conversing with the Italian.

She couldn't observe the scene any further since she had other customers to serve: one of them was her favourite, Kiku, a comrade with similar tastes as her. Giving his order, Elizabeta made small-talk with him, before she noticed the Spaniard approaching them. "Antonio, is there something I can help you with?"

"I...uhm..ah.." Antonio couldn't form his sentence right because he kept looking at Lovina who was busy tending to other customers. The Hungarian felt sorry for him and wanted to say some reassuring words but couldn't because he proceeded to sit at Kiku's booth (Kiku didn't seem to mind that Antonio seated himself there) and asked, "How come there's nobody from our college? Apart from Kiku, the others from our college who only once visited here were Gilbert's brother and his friend."

Elizabeta smiled when she saw how Antonio was now able to talk properly when not looking at Lovino: she was impressed at how Lovina made men go-weak-at-the-knees without trying . '_I wonder what's his secret_.' Because she was thinking of other stuff, Elizabeta absentmindedly stated, "That's cause Feliks wants it that way. He doesn't want any of our college-mates to know about this place and goes through great lengths to make sure it stays that way."

Antonio now had a speculative look, "Great lengths? As in Feliks will do anything to make sure this cafe remains a secret from the college students?"

Observing Antonio, Kiku foresaw something, '_Why do I feel like a red flag is being raised_,' but before he could warn Elizabeta not to say anymore, she innocently replied, "That's what he said."

Getting up from his seat, Antonio said in a jovial tone, "Muchas Gracias," leaving behind a confused Hungarian and a curious Japanese man.

She turned to look at Kiku, "Exactly what did he thank me for?" She felt restless, not liking the tone of Antonio's voice because though it sounded jovial, it was anything but harmless.

Kiku answered with a pondering expression, "I'm not sure Elizabeta-chan but I think I'll stay to find out."

Elizabeta tried to reassure herself that she was over-thinking it and nothing bad would happened but it didn't calm her as she faltered in serving the various orders to the customers. Feliks concerned for his best-friend, asked if she was alright. Elizabeta lied saying she was fine but she still had an uneasy feeling in her gut: this went on til closing time when she saw the only costumers remaining were the Bad-Touch-Trio, Kiku and Ivan.

* * *

Giving his death glare at Ivan, Yao tried to kick him out. "It's closing-time. What are you still doing here, aru?"

The Russian replied, "I'm waiting for my mandatory kiss on the cheek from you." Yao showed a stunned expression and said he never kissed Ivan on the cheek before. He responded, "That's why I'm making it mandatory from onwards, da."

Yao's right eye twitched when he heard that. "I'll give you a kiss alright: the 'kiss of metal' with my wok if you don't leave this instant."

Ivan, acting like a spoilt child, pouted. "Nyet! Why should I be the only one to leave? There are others still here."

Yao tsked at his behaviour but Ivan was right- the Chinese senior didn't mind Kiku being there but he really didn't want to deal with the trio present, especially Antonio. The Spaniard had out-of-the-blue approached Yao days back and created a huge ruckus. He had no clue what Antonio was on about: Yao was ready revert back to his delinquent days and bash the brunette up but instead gave a few swear words before leaving.

During the next following days, Yao noted though Antonio didn't come to Feliks' cafe often, whenever he came, he kept staring at 'Lovina'- the Italian must have noticed this because he kept running towards Arthur for safety and the Brit was more than happy to rush to his aid. '_Aiyaa, I must have caught Elizabeta's ailment because those two are starting to look like a couple_.' Now looking at the Spaniard who had a solemn expression, he thought, '_He has the same look he had back then. I've a feeling this isn't going to end well_.'

It looked like his presumption was going to be proved correct because Yao saw Antonio standing up from his seat and announced in a loud determined voice, "Lovina, please go out on a date with me this Saturday." Lovino who was conversing with Arthur, turned to look at Antonio and replied in a deary feminine tone, "I've rejected all your past advances. What makes you think today I'll change my mind."

Not backing down, Antonio declared boldly, "I know Feliks makes sure this cafe remains a secret. If you don't go out on a date with me, then I'll go and tell EVERYONE at our college-campus about this place." Upon hearing that declaration, those present in the cafe halted whatever they were doing and watched as this unusual situation unfolded infront of them.

Francis face-palmed, '_Sacre Bleu, I knew something would happen but not this_...' while Gilbert wore a look which implied disbelief but at the same time wanting to laugh, '_Heilige Scheisse, he's finally SNAPPED. It's about time_!'

Neither Francis nor Gilbert had a clue as to why Antonio had requested them to stay behind. When they saw him having a serious expression, they decided to comply with his request thinking he would later explain why, but the other remained quiet til now. Had they known this was what their friend was upto, Francis would've tried to convince him to change his tactic while Gilbert would've encouraged the Spaniard even further (adding more fuel to the fire). However, it was too late to do anything, so they both looked to observe what he would do next.

The others present (the 'waitresses') knew one of the reasons why Feliks kept the cafe a secret from those in their campus, was out-of-concern for them since the idea of meeting their college-mates on a regular basis while wearing dresses, didn't seem really appealing to any of them: now, it looked like the situation will came to that. However they felt they could handle it, judging by the fact that neither Lovino nor Yao were recognized by anyone at the music-event. Lovino staring at Antonio, thought, '_That bastard can announce to the whole world about this place for all I care_.'

Feliks on the other hand, thought differently. He had heard the whole commotion and had walked out of his office. Standing near Lovino and Arthur, he started to slowly panic. '_If Antonio broadcasts this cafe in the campus, then my batchmates will find out that I'm making a mockery of fashion by designing cosplay-costumes._'

He shook his head, telling himself that he was just overreacting but the nagging thought kept coming to him. '_Pervert- that's what I'll be called if this gets out at the college. A HUGE PERVERT_.' Being judged and called names were the few reasons why he decided not to expose his crossdressing habit as well: though Feliks showed a lot of spunk, in reality he was actually a shy sensitive person who got rattled easily. So, what was happening now wasn't good for his nerves.

* * *

Staring at Lovino, Arthur thought, '_It doesn't look like Lovino will agree to go on this date. Hell, I wouldn't either._' Observing the scene before him, the Brit mused, '_Well, if-worse-come-to-worst, I think we can all handle the pressure of meeting our college mates in drag and pulling it off_.' Looking around, Arthur saw Matthew fretting slightly but was surprised to see Elizabeta pale as ever. '_Poor thing, she must be shocked by the turn of events_.'

Little did Arthur know, how right he was since it was Elizabeta who was partly responsible for the whole fiasco. '_GAH, I hope no-one finds out_...' No matter how many times she teased her best-friend, she would never wish for something like this to happen to Feliks. She wanted to hit Antonio with her frying-pan for utilizing the info she unknowingly gave him to blackmail Feliks but felt she had already did enough to make the situation bad and didn't want it to become worse.

Kiku, who was next to Elizabeta, must have read her reactions because when he decided to leave the cafe, he took her along with him outside and told her, "Elizabeta-chan, please don't blame yourself. This was bound to happen since Lovino-kun avoided Antonio-san."

"But the fact remains this is happening because of me: if I hadn't blurted it out to Antonio, none of this would've occurred." Elizabeta continued sadly, "If the guys find out I'm the cause of all this, they would probably get mad at me."

Kiku took her hands into his own and assured her, "I was there at that time: it was a minor slip-of-the-tongue. They would understand if you explained to them what happened."

She shook her head, "I don't want them to know because they might think I did it it on purpose considering my preferences. I'm sure they would come to the conclusion that I'm helping Antonio. Please Kiku, I'm begging you, don't let Feliks know about my role in all this because he'll be hurt the most- he probably would cut all connections with me if he found out."

Kiku stared at her for awhile before saying, "I think your relationship with Feliks-san is stronger than you assume it to be." He knew everyone who had come crossed these two felt they were the symbol of the phrase 'thick-as-thieves' (to now have secrets between them didn't seem right). He tightened his grip on her palms to reassure her again, "He doesn't seem like the type to cut someone out of his life so easily. Infact, I feel with Feliks-san, he keeps those he's familiar with, close to his heart: even if the other person rejects him."

Letting go of her hands, Kiku advised, "Elizabeta-can, talk to him before the unnecessary guilt wears you out."

Elizabeta bit her lip in worry before giving a slight nod. When Kiku left, she was about to enter the cafe when she decided to call Adnan up. She knew Antonio and him were batchmates. '_Maybe, Adnan can talk some sense into him_.' Entering the cafe, she proceeded to go towards the changing-room to get her cellphone.

* * *

Meanwhile in the cafe-hall, Antonio asked the Italian out for the date again. Lovino snorted, "I'm afraid the answer is a big fat f*cking n—"

"YES!" Feliks cut Lovino off mid-sentence.

Startled by Feliks' sudden outburst, Lovino stared at him -furrowing his eyebrows in annoyance- before turning to look at Antonio, "And by 'yes', he means nev—"

"Like totally!" Feliks again interrupted.

Lovino growled, "BOSS, may I speak with you in the 'Stop-Contradicting-Me' room," and proceeded to walk towards Feliks' office. When they entered the room, Lovino banged the door shut. "What the f*ck was that about!"

Feliks, taking a seat behind his desk, implored, "Please consider Antonio's request." Lovino huffed while sitting on one of the chairs present, "Enlighten me why I should consider going out with that Spanish bastard."

"I totally don't want my college-mates to find out about this place." Lovino was baffled by Feliks' reply and asked why. The blond offered a sad smile. "When you discovered about the cafe's existence, what did you call me and the cafe first?"

Lovino bit the inside of his mouth: the words 'pervert' and 'sissy pervert cafe' rang in his mind. He later sighed. "It doesn't matter what I thought in the beginning- I don't see the big deal in letting others know about this place. They might come to appreciate it like we do."

The blond leaned back on his armchair. "Not everyone can be understanding. Besides, designing cosplay-costumes is like an insult to the very aesthetics of fashion: many fashion-designers will agree that I'm making a mockery of our field by designing these clothes no matter how rad it looks."

Lovino propping his chin on his fist,. "If that's the case, then why the f*ck does Francis visit here? Isn't he also in Fashion designing?"

Feliks had a faraway look on his face. "Ah, I'll always remember the look on Francis' face when he first arrived here. For someone who was famous for being a slut, his expression in the beginning totally read that I was lacking in integrity for running the place like this. However, he was kind enough to promise me to keep this place a secret."

Lovino asked, "Did you ever consider maybe you misread his reaction?"

"I, like, always tell myself that but honestly, I never want to relive it again. So, I'm begging you: please consider Antonio's request." When Feliks saw Lovino not answering, he revealed, "You know the Drama-dept is putting a show soon, so he'd be totally busy the next following days. Maybe this whole situation will become a one-time-thing"

Lovino frowned, '_What makes you think he won't use this blackmail again. I remember the last time when I hit him, the bastard_ _held that over my head til the bruise on his face got better_.' Though Lovino enjoyed the dates (he would never admit it), the fact remains is that he was a guy but Antonio thought of him as a girl and that just didn't sit well with him.

Frowning even more, Lovino felt Feliks' predicament had so many holes in it that it was making his head spin. '_F*ck, what will he do if the other customers meets someone who attends our college and tells that college-student about this cafe_?' He wanted to point this thought out, but he noted the blond really looked like he was at his wit's end, so he held his tongue, '_I guess he thinks his problem is huge, because it's his problem_.' He didn't feel like leaving Feliks in the lurch: after all, the guy did help Lovino in getting a stable job when he failed all his previous job interviews.

Trying to assess his situation, an idea suddenly appeared in Lovino's head. Thinking it through, he felt it was a solid plan but he wasn't sure how the others would react to it. '_Only one way to find out_.' Getting up from his seat, Lovino looked at Feliks and said, "You owe me big time."

Feliks watched as Lovino left the office- after awhile, the next thing he heard was someone roaring, "WHAT!" and rushed out to see what the commotion was now.

* * *

At the dorms, Heracles and Adnan were sitting on their beds facing each other, practicing their lines for the 'Julius Caesar play'. The Turk begged, "Please, let's take a breather"

Heracles sighed. "You do realize we don't have that much time left. You've one of the main roles in the play- can't you take this more seriously."

Adnan felt peeved at his reprimanding tone. He didn't need to be reminded they didn't have any time because Heracles had been doing that nearly everyday. The 'Annual Theatre Show' was coming up and their professors will grade the students based on their performances: this was one of the reasons why Adnan & Heracles haven't been showing up at the cafe since they both had roles in the same play, enacting Brutus and Caesar respectively. Since Heracles role was small in comparison's to Adnan's, he decided to take on the director's role as well- hence he has been quite authoritative.

Rubbing his temples, Adnan replied, "I'm too stressed to concentrate right now. A little relaxation won't do me harm." He didn't say anymore when his cellphone started ringing.

Heracles saw the Turk smile before answering it. "Merhaba Elizabeta... Oie, you sound upset. What's wrong?" He later saw Adnan's face contour-in-astonishment as he kept saying, "No way," every ten seconds. This went on til he hung up, keeping his phone aside while being quiet for some time.

Not liking the suspense, the jade-eyed man stated, "Unless you're going to inform me that your linguistic skills has regressed to that of a pre-teenager, would you mind telling me what's going on. Is Elizabeta alright?" Breaking himself out of his thoughts, Adnan told him what all Elizabeta mentioned. Hercules replied, "I see. I guess the term 'No way' is appropriate to be used in this situation."

Adnan nodded. "I know right. Why the hell is Antonio at the cafe! Doesn't he have to prepare for the role of 'Marc Antony' as well? How come he gets to have the time to enjoy and relax." Hercules answered Antonio's role wasn't that huge. Adnan responded, "It's still not fair."

Heracles raised his eyebrow. "Aren't you missing a very important detail which Elizabeta just shared?"

The Turk casually stated, "Oh, you mean about the 'blackmailing issue'? Well, Antonio has always been over-dramatic. But I've to admit- I never expected him to retaliate in that manner." When Heracles asked what he meant, Adnan explained, "I noticed Antonio was slowly falling for 'Lovina'. So, I advised Lovino to stay away because apart from the fact that Antonio thinks Lovino is a girl, unrequited love is the harshest thing in the world. Hence, I told him if he wasn't going to give what Antonio wanted, then cut him out of his life. Lovino, in the end, took my advice."

Pinching the bridge of his nose, the Turk came to the realization, "Aman yarabbi. What a huge hassle this situation is slowly becoming and I'm partly at fault for it."

Adnan then heard Heracles mumble in contempt, "Humph, you seem so in tune with Antonio's emotions yet you don't notice the emotions of ones who are close to you." He now looked at the jade-eyed man and felt puzzled when he heard that statement but before he could inquire about it, Heracles questioned, "So, what's going to happen at the cafe?"

"Ah well, the last thing Elizabeta mentioned was that everything seems to be at a stand-still but it looks like Lovino won't agree to go on the date: blackmailing Feliks to pressure Lovino to his demands isn't helping Antonio with his image." Adnan thought about it for awhile and stated, "Maybe, in the next coming days, I can preoccupy Antonio with various tasks at the Drama-dept, then he'll be unable to visit the caf..."

Heracles interjected, "Ilithios, haven't you done enough already?"

Adnan slightly annoyed, retorted, "So you're suggesting to do nothing?" Heracles answered, "To me, it looks like the more you keep Antonio away from something he likes, the more determined he becomes to get it. And since he's bull-headed, I don't think talking any sense into him will now work: it's better to just wait and watch."

The jade-eyed man later got up from his bed. Adnan asked what he was upto, Heracles replied, "You were complaining that you were stressed and that's why you can't concentrate on rehearsing the lines, right? The only way for us to move forward is for you to relieve your stress."

Adnan felt his cheeks burn, '_We haven't done that in a long time. Kahretsin! I'm wearing Donald-Duck boxers. How embarrassing_,' while closing his eyes as he waited for Heracles to approach him.

But instead he heard Heracles say, "Why are you sitting like a statue?" Opening his eyes, he saw Heracles near the pantry, taking out various ingredients. Adnan in return asked what he was doing to which the other revealed, "Setting up the materials so that we can bake a cake. I've always found baking to be relaxing."

Feeling ashamed for assuming otherwise, Adnan went towards the kitchen-stove and took out the rest of appliances needed for baking.

x

**A/N:** Antonio looks like the bad guy? With Lovino avoiding him for so long, something was bound to happen ... Seems like Lovino's relying on Arthur now? Well, since Feliciano isn't around often, Lovino unintentionally makes the next person closest to him as his support-system ... Arthur's reason for being there for Lovino? Stay tuned ^.^


	13. Chapter 13

**THE CAFE OF DOUBLE LIVES...**

**Chapter 13**

"WHAT!" Yao roared when Lovino put forward his condition to Antonio. Even Arthur was taken aback but when Feliks appeared next to them, he saw the Italian giving a slight nod and in return, Feliks mouth the words 'Thank you'- at that moment, the Brit realized there was more to this than meets the eye.

Lovino now turning to look towards Antonio, "I said, I would only agree to go on this date if the other waitresses come along," and stood behind Arthur to protect himself from the threatening glares Yao was sending him.

Ivan watched the whole scene with interest. '_Eto udivitel. Yao now has the same aura he had in highschool: the aura of the Dragon. How I loved seeing it whenever we had our street-fights_.' He saw Antonio was going to respond when Yao interrupted, "Before you say anything, we need to clear some things amongst ourselves, aru."

Yao looked at the other waitresses. "Meeting in the changing-room... NOW!" As soon as Ivan heard him growl, he made it a point to be included in this date. '_I'll not miss out on an opportunity to see Yao-Yao like this_.'

Feliks was about to follow the others when his cellphone rang. Going towards his office instead, he answered in a shaky voice, "H-hiya Orlando... Huh? Is something wrong?" He wondered how was one suppose to tell another that his cousin was performing blackmail, "Uhm, nope. E-everything is like totally super," so he proceeded to lie since the other 'waitresses' were now involved in his dilemma, he didn't want to trouble even more people (besides, it wasn't like telling Orlando would stop Antonio from announcing about his cafe). Hence, he decided to leave his friend in the dark.

Meanwhile the others -entering the changing-room- saw Elizabeta pacing around. Surprised to see them there, she asked, "I-Is everything settled?"

Matthew shook his head. "Far from it. Lovino stated he wouldn't go out on the date unless the waitresses come along."

After everyone concerned was inside the room, Yao closed the door and turned towards Lovino. "What possessed you to say such a thing! I welcomed you into our family and this is how you repay us, aru?"

Arthur stepped in between Lovino and the Chinese senior, "Yao, family sticks together- remember, solidarity is what we follow here."

Yao however snapped, pointing at Arthur, "YOU, stop taking his side! You're always mollycoddling him like a mother-hen to a chick, aru."

The emerald-eyed man was insulted by that remark. "I just don't see the need to unnecessarily pick on Lovino."

Yao rebuffed, "Unnecessarily? He's the one who SUGGESTED the condition!" Arthur barked in response, "I still DON'T see why you've to have a hissy-fit!"

While Arthur and Yao were bickering, Matthew was trying act as an intermediary/peace-keeper between the two but that proved to be difficult because they continued to argue, ignoring him.

Feeling bitter, Matthew thought, '_I'm tired of them always treating me like I'm invisible_.' So, he went towards his locker, opened the steel-door and then banged it shut. This actually brought on the effect which he wanted, because the duo stopped arguing and turned to look at him. Even though he was expecting it, Matthew was still a bit startled when he got their attention. Clearing his throat, he timidly said, "Ahem... I don't think arguing amongst ourselves will get us anywhere. Let's just take a step back and reevaluate our options, eh?"

The room became silent til Yao, who had calmed down, asked the Italian, "Why do you want us to come with you, aru?"

Lovino answered, "I might be able to interact less with the bastard with you guys there. If you all are present, then it won't be a one-on-one situation which is what I want."

Elizabeta grumbled, "You want to spend less time with him? I'm not surprised. He looks like the Devil right now- threatening poor angelic Feliks and his cafe, just to go out on a date with you. Incorrigible."

Matthew on the other hand, smiled and said, "Antonio is enamored by you which is why he's acting the way he is." Arthur chipped in, "Or he's in dire need of a human mate to carry his demon spawn."

Appalled by what the Brit added, Lovino scowled. "Hey, I'm a guy if you've forgotten. Maybe, if I show him that I'm not a girl, he might back off."

The boys shrieked in unison, "Don't you dare. If you do, he'll definitely suspect we're boys too and tell the others." In Yao's case, Ivan knew of his secret and was making his life miserable- there was no way he was going to let others finds out. In Matthew's case, he went through all that trouble to throw Gilbert off his tracks and he wanted to make sure it stayed that way. In Arthur's case, of course, it meant Francis would find out that he had been hitting on his ex this whole time which was what the Brit wanted to avoid.

"I'm not going for this date- so, count me out. I honestly would rather take my chances serving our college-mates in skirts, than hang out with that demon, aru," Yao finally stated.

Intrigued by that statement, Arthur said, "It feels like you're hiding something. Start spilling."

Yao sighed. "Days back after the music event, Antonio came up to me and said I should be ashamed for treating women so badly that they are scared of me. I don't know why he said such a thing: if he was talking about XiaoMei, then it's actually she who is treating me badly and not giving me any respect." Turning to look at Arthur, he continued, "Later, he told me that he won't lose to me- lose in what, I've no clue because we both are in different fields, aru."

Hearing Yao talk, Lovino felt more-and-more at unease since what the Chinese senior went through might have been his fault. This was because at the music event, he let Yao's name slip out and he might have said it in such a way that Antonio must have assumed Yao was threatening him. Watching Yao getting angry by the minute, he dared not say anything.

Finally Yao said with a tinge of paranoia in his voice, "If Antonio was suggesting he wouldn't lose to me in manliness, then it's not my fault that I look delicate. Even in highschool, I looked like this but that DIDN'T mean I was a fragile flower. At that time, I was known as the king- the KING of the Dragons, aru!"

They all could see Yao's burning aura as he clenched his hands into fists while making that speech. They believed every single word of his because Kiku had once showed them pictures of his highschool days and they were shocked to see Yao in a mean messy appearance with his shirt tucked-out (unlike now, where everything was in it's place), holding a wooden staff in one hand and flipping the bird in the other hand.

Listening to the Chinese senior, Arthur thought Yao's tiff with Antonio reminded him of an incident that took place a few days after the music event -

_On the college-grounds, Arthur saw Antonio approaching him along with Francis. It looked like the brunette was ready to charge at him, guns blazing, furious about something. However the weirdest thing happened next: Francis suddenly pointed up to the sky and said, "baby turtles." What was more weird, was that Antonio actually looked to the direction where the Parisian was pointing at. In the end, Arthur left, unable to gawk at them any further because he was late for his shift at the cafe. _

Arthur wondered whether these two incidents were related when he noticed Lovino fidgeting with a worried expression. Putting two and two together, he guessed the Italian had something to do with it. But seeing Yao was still ticked off about his experience with Antonio, he figured it would be best not to point it out atleast for Lovino's sake.

After awhile Matthew stated, "If everyone is okay with meeting your college-mates in drag, then nobody really has to go."

Sitting on a nearby chair, Lovino replied, "Actually, there is a reason why I'm considering to go on this f*ckin date. I'm not sure if I should be the one to tell you but since we'll be together on this, you might as well know why this is important to the Boss." As he revealed what all Feliks had unearth on him in the office, the others slowly began to understand why the blond made sure the cafe remained a secret from their college-mates.

Elizabeta felt the most guilty hearing about it. '_I knew Feliks had insecurity issues but I never knew it ran that deep_.' She felt sad when she found he didn't share this particular detail with her but considering what she has done by blabbing to Antonio, maybe there was a reason why he didn't confide in her about it. It now made her feel even more awful that she was putting him through of this trouble.

Matthew listening to Lovino, reasoned, "That doesn't leave us with many options now, eh? Maybe we can threaten Antonio to be silent: with Lizzy using her frying-pan, Yao using his wok and me using my hockey-stick." They thought about it (some surprised that he was aggressive enough to suggest such an idea) before Lovino broke the silence by saying it might provoke the Spaniard more. Matthew joked, "It looks like Antonio will be dragging us down to hell one way or another."

They all nodded til Arthur remarked, "Have any of you guys noticed our present conversation is kind of centered around Angels & Demons?" After he pointed that observation, they looked down at their Angel-attire and thought, '_It's the costumes: it's definitely affecting us_.'

* * *

While they were making their decision, they heard a knock on the door and saw Feliks entering the room. Before they could say anything, he closed the door and stated, "I'm sure Lovino must have filled you in all the details. This is totally my problem but if you guys are willing to help me, then I would be eternally grateful."

Hearing that heartfelt plea, they turned to Yao since he was the only one who wasn't on board yet. He wanted to say it wasn't needed for him to be there for the date and the other three waitresses were more than enough for company but seeing them look at him with huge hopeful puppy-dog-eyes, Yao finally relented unable to refuse the cuteness which was shown his way, "Fine, I'll go. But what are we going to do about the outfits? It's not like Elizabeta has clothes which will fit all of us, aru."

"I've a solution: just leave it upto me," Feliks declared just in time for his cellphone to start ringing again. Excusing himself, he left the room.

Seeing everything was taken care of, the others left the changing-room as well and stopping a few feet away from where the Bad-Touch-Trio and Ivan were. They each stood on either side of the Italian, goading him to relay their decision to the Spaniard. Lovino looked at Antonio, "Since you're blackmailing the entire cafe, it has been decided the other waitresses will be included in this date. Take it or leave it, you bastard."

Elizabeta wanted to go over and punch Antonio but felt someone had gingerly clasped her hand in their own hand. She knew instantly it was her boyfriend since no-one-else had a calming effect on her like he did. Turning to her left, she saw Roderich standing there who gave her a comforting smile. She had previously informed her boyfriend of what all happened when he saw her rushing towards the changing-room, so he knew she was on the edge. Giving a small smile back to him, she turned to observe the rest of the scene.

Antonio pondered for awhile and then stated, "I would rather if it was just you and me, but I suppose we can make it into a lively fun group date with Gilbert and Francis coming along."

_Hearing that Antonio was bringing his minions to make the date more exciting, Yao decided to put his own request in, "Make sure we aren't in a crowded location". The 'waitresses' shot disapproving looks at him feeling that he was making the situation more complicated than it already was. He whispered in indignation, "_**_I said I would go but I didn't say I would make this easier for Antonio. I still haven't forgiven him for his earlier rude behaviour, aru_**."

Stroking his chin, Antonio thought, '_I wanted to take Lovina to a restaurant but it's very popular, so there will be many people around_.' But before he could point that out, he heard the Russian say, "That can be arranged, da."

Yao crossed his arms. "Who asked you!"

Ivan's voice retaining that innocent tone which Yao knew was false, "I'm this group's new best friend. They will agree to my request- won't you, comrades?" When the three boys saw him staring at them with a menacing cloud enshrouding him, they just nodded rapidly fearing they would lose for their lives if they didn't agree.

Finally when the four of them left, the others asked Yao what Ivan would be planning. He replied, "Knowing Ivan, he would most probably take us to his mansion to show the dungeons in his basement, aru."

Lovino thought, '_So much for it being a solid plan. I hope everything will go smoothly this Saturday_.'

* * *

Back at the dorms, Heracles and Adnan were busy preparing to bake their cake. It was a simple recipe: chocolate cake with icing. They measured the ingredients and put them in the bowl. Before Adnan started painting the rectangular-cake-pan with a butter-brush, he asked, "You know Hassan Gupta, right?"

Heracles nodded. He knew Hassan- the Egyptian was their senior who belong to a family involved in the pottery business. "Why are you bringing his name up?"

"Well, it seemed the seniors decided to do their rendition of the Shaw's play 'Caesar and Cleopatra'. Everyone including the girls felt he was perfect to play the part of Cleopatra because of his exquisite looks and talent. Since it was meant to be played by a woman, he obviously refused it many times before finally giving in." With his eyes twinkling, Adnan continued, "I'll always remember the first time he got onstage while wearing the costume. He looked so beautiful with his tanned skin and green eyes lined in a cat-eye style with kohl." While he was explaining, he noted Heracles mixing the ingredients a little too roughly than he normally does. Finally Adnan concluded, "Anywaz, we somehow got introduced to each other and became friends."

Heracles, pouring some milk into the bowl, inquired in an apathetic tone, "Is that one of the reasons why he showed up at our practice in the auditorium every once-in-awhile?"

"Yeah, I told him about my role and he wanted to see how I acted," Adnan buttered the pan while beaming slightly, "He said I acted well but wished I did the role of Marc Antony instead."

"I disagree. Marc Antony should be played by someone who has his characteristics: a frivolous but crafty man who seizes an opportunity and uses it to his advantage. From what happened in the cafe, I think Antonio is more than suited to play that part." Looking at Adnan, Heracles continued, "Brutus on the other hand, cared for the welfare of others and doesn't seem to be concerned with personal-gain. I can't think of anyone except you to play that role."

Hearing Heracles, Adnan felt blinded by those compliments. He never knew the Greek thought of him that way since most of their past conversations included some sort of abuse from the jade-eyed man. Snapping himself out of his daze, Adnan laughed in a sheepish manner, "Ah, Hassan joked that if I had played the role of Marc Antony, then we both could have been paired together as lovers in the 'Antony and Cleopatra' play after we done with our respective plays. It's kind of cute when you think about it."

Heracles replied, "Hmm, he certainly has a crush on you."

Adnan snorted, "That mantrap has a crush on me? I doubt it."

'_It's amazing how oblivious he is_.' Heracles noticed early on that Hassan had his eye on Adnan: it's just that the Turk was thick-skulled, hence he hadn't comprehended yet. Heracles smirked slightly knowing Hassan was an introverted person, so the signals which he was sending to Adnan wasn't enough to get his attention.

Then Adnan's cellphone rang. Heracles saw him go towards the end of the room and answered in a charming manner, "Merhaba... What?... Okay... Since you're not sure on the details, when you're ready, just give me call... Elveda." and snapped his phone shut.

Turning to look at the Greek, Adnan approached the kitchen stove. "I guess you were right." When Heracles asked about what, the Turk replied, "About the crush. Hassan just asked me out."

As soon as Adnan mentioned that, Heracles tuned out everything that was being said, '_I can't believe Hassan decided to make his move. I thought he was shy_.' Finally putting the bowl -which he was holding- on the counter, the Greek asked, "So, you're going?"

Adnan smiled, taking the bowl and poured the cake-batter into the pan, "I don't see why not. It's not everyday that a gorgeous beauty is interested in me."

While Adnan was pouring, he saw Heracles' mood had changed: the Greek didn't look like he wanted to converse anymore, instead focused his attention in mixing the ingredients for the cake icing. The Turk later frowned, '_He's wearing that callous expression again_.' He knew that look all too well- it meant Heracles wouldn't be talking to him for several days and for the life of him, he couldn't figure what brought it on. He hated those days when he wasn't able to converse with him. Even though most-of-the-time, Heracles berated him, to Adnan, it felt like the Greek cared for his wellbeing. So, to be ignored by him, kind of hurt.

At that moment, Adnan felt he needed to do something fast to get Heracles' attention. When he saw the cake-batter infront of him, it clicked. Heracles always hated it when Adnan licked the cake-whisk, so he proceeded to bring the whisk close to mouth but not close enough to actually lick it, and lied by saying, "Mmm, this whisk tastes good."

Heracles turned his head so abruptly to look at him that it ended up startling the Turk: Adnan pushed the whisk even closer to his mouth in surprise thereby getting some batter mix on his chin and shirt as well. "Lanet! This is a new shirt."

As Adnan inspected the stain on his shirt, he licked the cake-batter off his lips with his tongue. Since he was focused on what he was doing, he hadn't noticed Heracles was closely watching him and had reached his hand out to his face. When Adnan felt his palm, he stopped whatever he was doing and saw Heracles had shortened the distance between them. The jade-eyed man looked at his eyes, then his lips and again at his eyes. He slowly ran his other hand through Adnan's hair, thereby closing the personal barrier even more. And finally, he stole a kiss from Adnan.

While this was happening, Adnan panicked, '_What's going on_' and in his state-of-confusion, he knocked the pan with his hand and it fell to the ground. Immediately, they broke away from the kiss and saw a huge mess on the floor.

Before they could start to clean things up, they heard a knock on the door. Heracles went to answer it and saw their next door dormmate, YongSoo, standing there holding MisterMittens. The Korean had somehow found about the cat and though he had promised not to tell the dorm-president about it, he requested to have some play-time with it every other day. Heracles suspected he was using the cat to attract Yao's and Kiku's attention since they loved anything cute.

Letting the cat enter their dormroom, YongSoo noticed the room and asked, "Is everything alright, daze?" Heracles said it was nothing to worry about and then inquired whether the other wanted anything-else to which YongSoo answered, "Well, I just came to return MisterMittens and to ask you whether you wanted to come to the party which is going to held on the 1st floor. All the stuff present is, of course, made in Korea- so it'll be off the hook. Are you in?"

Adnan didn't listen to what Heracles replied as he proceeded to go towards the bathroom. Locking himself inside with his back against the door, Adnan panicked again with his heart racing fast, '_Tanrim! What was that! We've never kissed before- something doesn't feel right here_,' and wasn't sure how to interact with Heracles after this.

x

**A/N:** Introductions-

Hassan Gupta - Egypt [though he's expressionless, quiet & mysterious: onstage he transforms into a talented performer]

Im YongSoo - Korea [the lovable molester belongs to the Film academy- so, he's training to become a director]


	14. Chapter 14

**THE CAFE OF DOUBLE LIVES...**

**Chapter 14**

The boys had a feeling that since Feliks offered to handle their wardrobe for the group-date today, they knew it was going to be revealing meaning a lot of leg was going to be shown. They based this judgement on the various costumes which he had designed so far. Hence they decided to go shopping for a pair of leggings.

Once they entered the desired store, they made a beeline to the ladies' section and went through the various selection of the item which they came to purchase. Soon they started to ask each other- "Are leather leggings still in fashion?"; "Which one should I choose- the kneelength ones or the anklelength ones?"; "Do you think orange will suit an olive-skinned person?"; "Aren't the floral patterns on this pair of leggings cute, aru?"

All-of-a-sudden, they felt pairs of eyes on them and they looked around to see the shop attendants giving them weird looks. They later realized why they were getting such looks: it's not everyday that people get to see four grownup men gushing over a pair of women's clothing.

Arthur whispered in panic, "_**Have we been working in the cafe for too long that our cafe-avatars have finally integrated into our souls making it almost impossible for us to rejoin the normal outside world**_?"; though Matthew was also fidgeting, he tried to calm the Brit down by saying, "_**No, I'm sure the others aren't really gawking at us**."; Lovino whispered in response, "**Maybe it would have been easier for us to shop in the ladies' section if we had come in our cafe-avatars**_." While the three of them prayed for a trap door to appear underneath them, Yao on the other hand took the bull by the horns and stated, "We're buying gifts for our girlfriends, aru."

The trio thought they were saved by Yao's ingenious statement but they saw the shop attendants still wore those awkward expressions.

In the end, the store manager came forward, "Of course, I'm sorry for the rude behaviour caused by my employees. Please take your time, Ma'am." Hearing the store manager utter the word 'Ma'am', that too to Yao of all people made whatever embarrassment the other three went through, worthwhile. The whole situation became even better when Yao corrected her because the lady immediately replied, "Oh my, you look really pretty for a man." In the end, the insides of their stomachs began hurting when he grudgingly gave his thanks.

Finally they all purchased the much-needed-items and left the store. While they were walking, they noticed Yao had a soar look on his face. But before they could say anything, he stated, "I know you all are going to suggest I should go for a haircut if I don't want to be mistaken for a woman but long hair or short hair, I still look feminine. So, I rather keep it long, aru." With that said, they walked towards the cafe.

As soon as the date-time approached, the 'waitresses' received many surprises-

Surprise number one: the clothes which Feliks made for them were quite decent. He designed one-piece-dresses for Arthur and Matthew while Lovino and Yao were given two-piece-outfits (all of them were kneelength). Yao, though, stated wherever Ivan was going to take them would definitely be cold, so he advised them to also wear the leggings.

Surprise number two: while they changed into their new outfits, they saw Elizabeta looked like she was ready for a night-out-in-the-town with Roderich looking dashing as well, but the expression on her face clearly showed she wasn't enjoying any of this. They felt this was odd because she always was ready to jump at the chance to dress them up, yet right now she seemed completely passive. Feliks noticed she had been gloomy for the past couple of days and inquired the Quartet if they knew why she was like that. Unfortunately they didn't have the answer to dispel his worries.

Surprise number three: a black-coloured limousine came to pick them. Getting inside, Elizabeta and Roderich comfortably found seats for themselves but when the other four got inside, they saw their 'dates' patting the seat next of them. Matthew didn't mind sitting with Gilbert- however Lovino, Arthur and Yao raised a storm demanding them to "move"; "bugger off"; "get lost, Bratishka." In the end, Lovino & Arthur sat next to each other on one side, Francis & Antonio on the other side while Yao ended up sitting on Ivan's lap as a punishment.

Surprise number four: instead of taking them to his huge cold dark mansion, Ivan took them to a huge cold illuminated arena. He welcomed them to the the newly built 'Ice Rink' which his parents had just purchased. Since it wasn't open to the public yet, there wasn't a soul-in-sight except for a few of the staff members. They all wished they had worn an extra layer of clothing because it was freezing, however Ivan seemed like he was least bothered by the cold, looking very much at home.

* * *

Rather than grumble about how cold the temperature was, they decided to make the best of it: they went towards the staff members who had the set of skates and when they finished putting them on, they got onto the ice rink. The only ones who weren't ready were the Bad-Touch-Trio but the 'waitresses' figured they hadn't found the right size yet, hence they were taking their time.

On the rink, Lovino was the only one who didn't know how to skate. Hence, he held onto Arthur with one arm around his shoulder and the other arm around his waist. He started to complain in a feeble manner, "Why did that Russian bear think this place was appropriate location to have a date?"

Matthew smiled, "Ice skating can be fun- give it a chance."

Lovino whined some more, "How the f*ck is this fun! I might break my legs at any moment."

Roderich observing the whole scene, noticed Lovino and Arthur seemed too comfortable with arms around each other. He then had to slap himself for thinking that way, '_I guess Elizabeta's taste is finally rubbing off on me_.' He had hoped their interaction would have brighten her up, but she seemed distracted to appreciate it. '_The guilt must be really eating her alive if she's unable able to notice this. It was a bad idea to come here afterall_.'

Taking her by the hand to get her attention, Roderich stated, "Elizabeta isn't feeling well. So, we'll be excusing ourselves." Elizabeta hadn't expected her boyfriend to do that but before she could say anything, Roderich silenced her with a stern look and then turned towards Lovino, "Sorry for bailing on you. I hope you'll be able to handle things by yourself"

Lovino responded, "It's fine. Elizabeta, take care, ok?" She gave a small nod before leaving the rink with Roderich. Lovino turned towards the other three and asked, "You guys still have no idea why she has been out of it?"

Arthur replied, "I asked her a couple of times but I always get the same response which is 'I'm fine'. I miss the old Lizzy, so I hope she gets better."

While Matthew, Lovino and Arthur discussed the possible reasons as to why Elizabeta was depressed, Yao kept glancing at Ivan who was calmly skating at the other side of rink. Finally the amber-eyed man said, "He's upto something, aru." When the others asked who he was talking about, Yao replied, "Ivan, who else. Something is very wrong with this picture. It's too calm, too quiet."

Lovino wanted to point out the reason why it was quiet was because they were the only ones there and Yao himself made that request but before he could say it, the Chinese senior declared, "I need to find out what he's planning. I'll be right back," and skated towards Ivan.

Watching Yao's back, Lovino inquired, "Is it just me or is he becoming really paranoid these days?"

Arthur answered, "You can't blame him for acting that way especially around that guy." Also watching Ivan and Yao interact, the Brit continued, "Apart from having a lot of history between them, Ivan has leverage over Yao: just imagine how you would react on a day-to-day-basis if someone kept threatening to expose your secret to the others. I know I would be just as paranoid."

Matthew however had a different opinion, "Call me crazy but I honestly don't see Ivan as evil as Yao makes him out to be. If he was so devious, then shouldn't he rather use his leverage for more evil purposes like making Yao his own personal sex-slave." Both Lovino and Arthur raised their eyebrows when he made that statement: it's usually expected of Elizabeta to say such a thing, so they were surprised when the timid violet-eyed man stated it first. Matthew blushed when he realized what he just declared, "What I'm trying to say is- if Ivan truly wanted, he could make Yao's life a lot more miserable. Yet, he uses his threat only when Yao refuses to converse with him. Isn't that's odd?"

When they thought about it, they realized Matthew was actually right (from what they seen of their interaction so far). However Lovino pointed out that Ivan sometimes uses the leverage to make Yao sit on his lap, Matthew replied, "That's only when Yao imitates Natalia. Ivan states it's punishment but I'm getting the feeling he bats for the other team- I mean, I don't think a guy gropes another guy for kicks unless he swings that way."

The trio couldn't observe Yao and Ivan any further as their attention got diverted elsewhere when a loud voice roared, "HOW do I look?" They saw Gilbert literally walking instead of skating around. Lovino yelled back, "YOU look like an idiot." to which the crimson-eyed man responded, "SWEET."

Lovino felt puzzled by that response and turned to Arthur, "He knows I just insulted him, right?"

The Brit snickered, "With Gilbert, you never really know."

Antonio and Francis later entered the rink, but the others couldn't keep their eyes off of Gilbert as he moved around looking like he could lose his balance anytime soon. The meanest thing was that his friends who were perfect figure-skaters refused to give any assistance to him.

Lovino finally sighed, "If he get hurts, then Potato bastard will overstress himself which in turn will affect my idiot-fratello. So, Matthew please help him before he breaks his leg." The violet-eyed man stared at him and asked if he was sure. Seeing Gilbert almost fell flat on his face, Lovino replied, "Yea, I'll be fine since Arthur is here with me." Matthew then nodded before rushing towards Gilbert.

* * *

Yao knew the best way to get the truth out of someone, is to be on the offensive- meaning ask directly point blank without giving any time for the other person to think up of a lie. So, he went skating towards Ivan and demanded, "What evil plan are you scheming, aru?"

Ivan gave an innocent smile, "Nothing. What makes you think I've done such a thing?" Yao rebuffed, "This is concerning you. The fact that you accepted to arrange this date is extremely suspicious- you never accept anything without having ulterior motives."

"Kolkolkol, Yao-Yao knows me well," but before Yao could say he knew the Russian was upto no good, Ivan stated, "but not well enough."

This surprised Yao because Ivan was now wearing a small smile which actually seemed genuine as he explained, "Da, I admit in the beginning when I took this offer, I was going to use it to rile you up further since you look pretty when you're angry," Yao's eyebrow twitched in annoyance when he was called 'pretty' the second time today but decided to let the Russian talk, "However, there is another expression of yours which I like a lot." Ivan stared at him and asked, "Do you remember our last year of highschool, one week before Christmas?"

Yao froze- the main thing he remembered about that time was he was incredibly depressed because he found the truth about his parents. Trying not to think about it, Yao asked solemnly, "Why are you bringing this up, aru? What has that got to do with us being here?"

Ivan pointed infront of them, "Doesn't this scenario remind you of anything?" The amber-eyed man looked at where Ivan was pointing and saw Gilbert almost falling flat on his face with Matthew rushing to his rescue while Lovino was clinging onto Arthur like his life depended on it.

It then clicked what Ivan was trying to make Yao recall -

_A few days before Christmas, Yao got word that Ivan wanted the location of their next fight changed: he wanted to fight on the dried-up small lake which bordered on the outskirts of the city. Since the Russian had won the last fight, Yao had to comply with his request. Finally when his gang had reached the location, they saw Ivan's gang had also arrived but were on the other side. The opposing teams wasted no time as they went to confront each other. However neither of the team members had anticipated how difficult it would be cross the lake- that was because the ground was frozen stiff._

_It seemed the snow that had melted the previous day, had frozen due to the night's cold temperature. So there was a layer of ice which was covering the ground- hence, most of members lost their footing. Even those were able to reach the middle of the lake, were unable to land a solid punch on the enemy without losing their balance. Being the leader, Yao wanted to organize his gang and come up with a plan but seeing everyone with serious faces falling comically to the ground, he watched the whole scene with amusement- laughing til his sides hurt. In the end, everyone present injured themselves instead each other by falling too much. The fight ended in a draw._

Yao gave a content sigh, "The fight on the lake was amazing- that clearly brightened my day, aru."

Ivan smiled, "I'm glad that my decision to change locations was fruitful. Your face filled with glee was much better than when it was filled with sadness."

With that statement, whatever laughter which was building within Yao had died down, "Fruitful as in productive? Did you plan for it to happen, aru?"

Ivan turned towards Yao, "I noticed that week you were very sad. It was heart-breaking to see you like that." The amber-eyed man was prepared for everything concerning Ivan but he definitely wasn't ready to see a caring side. He was still unable to believe Ivan would go through such an extent to bring a smile on his face. Yao even saw concern in his eyes when the Russian asked, "If you don't mind me asking- why were you depressed?"

Yao wasn't sure whether he should talk about it but seeing Ivan looking earnestly at him, clearly threw him off, so he replied, "During that time, I found out from my grand-parents that when I was very young, my parents who are missing even now, had many debts. They borrowed from some shady people but since they were unable to pay the money back, they made the decision to run away. However they chose to leave me behind." Tearing up a little, Yao continued, "I know they made that decision with the best intentions for me but it still hurts that they didn't take me along, aru." Now Yao bent his head down as if trying not show the tears in his eyes, "You being in a sheltered life cannot possibly know what I'm going through."

"Konechno, ya ponimayu. You might not believe it but my life is almost like yours. The only difference is my parents willingly abandon my siblings and I in that big cold mansion of ours in favour for their work," Ivan went closer to Yao and lifted his chin. Staring into the other's eyes, the Russian stated, "Your parents on the other hand, made that difficult decision out of love for you because they didn't want you to have a life where you're always on the run."

From all the interactions which Yao ever had with Ivan, this was the first time he felt fragile- and they weren't in a battle of fists yet.

* * *

Even though Lovino wasn't clinging onto him like before and was just holding his palm, Arthur noticed how tense the other looked, so he said, "Skating is a lot like dancing- you need to relax to enjoy it."

Lovino showed a skeptical expression. "If this is another ploy to make me join your dance-troupe, it's not working." Eversince the music event, Arthur had been hounding him to participate in the Flash-mob-dance which was going to take place soon.

Arthur pouted, "No, it isn't but since you brought it up: we need more people who can dance. This flash-mob-event is important as it provides more publicity about our University." The reason why the Dean gave the green light to do such things infront of public places like malls, town squares etc was because more publicity meant more applications to their University which meant more income flow. This was also an annual tradition which the University students did- it was Arthur's responsibility to organize it this year, hence he had been recruiting people to temporarily join his dance-troupe. The Brit then revealed, "Besides, this year we'll be dancing to Destiny's child 'Bootylicious'."

Lovino's eyes widen twice the size with shock written all over his face, "Is that really true?"

Arthur snorted, "Don't be daft. I was only kidding," later continued with a smirk, "But I think it's the perfect song for you to sing to Antonio- I can just picture you shaking your booty at him, singing: I don't think you're ready for this jelly. I don't think you're ready for this cause my body's too bootylicious for you, bebe ."

"Santo Cielo, that image is burning my mind!" Lovino groaned while Arthur continued to chuckle as they slowly skated- both trying not to fall. The Italian shook his head to wipe that image from his memory, and stated, "Jokes aside, I still won't join because you're asking me to come as Lovina."

Arthur begged, "I wouldn't request this if we didn't have less female dancers." Lovino again refused, "I said at the Musica Extravaganza that I'm never doing that again and I meant it: my answer is still NO."

The Brit stared at him for awhile before nodding in defeat. Actually, there was another reason why he was adamant in asking Lovino- apart from Francis (who he used to practice with, in his own home), the only other person he felt really comfortable dancing with, was with Lovino and he realized this when they both grooved on the dancefloor. Maybe that was one of the reasons why he had these conflicted feelings within him.

Hanging out with Lovino, Arthur learnt a few interesting things: apart from being hot-headed, stubborn and crude at times, the Brit noticed the way Lovino felt was different from way he looked, in other words he might look like he doesn't give a damn about you while you're in knee-deep-in-trouble when in reality he's actually thinking of ways to help you out (how he dealt with Feliks' situation was a good example). Of course, having a trait where one says/does the opposite of what one is feeling can be confusing to the others but it has been pointed out to Arthur (by an observant Parisian) that he has the same personality trait which was probably why it was easier for him to read Lovino.

Thinking about what happened last Monday night, Arthur remarked while they had reached the center of the rink, "I'm surprised you agreed to go on this date: I was sure you would've told Antonio to stick it where the sun don't shine."

"That thought did come up in my mind, however after what Feliks told me, I decided to endure it," Lovino stopped skating and tighten his hold on Arthur's palm, "I've to point out you being here makes it easier for me. You didn't have to but you've always come to my aid whenever Antonio is concerned."

Arthur felt guilty when Lovino said that because initially he had thought Francis was after Lovina which was why he had always pulled the Italian away from the Bad-Touch-Trio whenever they came to the cafe. Later he found out that he had assumed wrong because Francis would still try to cop a feel with Aretha while fully ignoring Lovina. However even though Arthur learnt Francis felt nothing for the Italian, he would still pull Lovina away from the Trio (he also noticed Lovino would do the same for him whenever Francis would get fresh with the Brit). Lovino intrigued him and like Francis had mentioned before, Arthur too felt the need to protect the Italian especially when he showed moments of vulnerability.

Now facing each other, Arthur watched as Lovino bore his soul to him, "You've been there for me these past few weeks and that has been reassuring. I know I can't ask for more, but I hope I can count on you in the future." Something sparked within him when he saw Lovino looking defenseless, '_Blimey! He looks really cute now. Is this the reason why Antonio wouldn't give up on him_?' Staring at him, Arthur felt maybe Lovino could be the person who would finally help him get over Francis.

Arthur was about to seize the moment to declare he would always be there for him if he hadn't noticed the alarmed expression on Lovino's face. "_**Oie, what's wrong**_?" His question was immediately answered when he felt a pair of arms around his waist. In surprise, he let go of Lovino. Turning to look who was behind him, Arthur felt stupefied to see who it was, '_Francis_?'

The Parisian playfully smiled. "Bonsoir, I need to have a word with you."

"Hold on a bloody s-waaaaaaah!" Arthur's ranting was cut short when Francis quickly pulled him away- Lovino and Arthur outstretched their hands to each other, screaming "Artie!" and "Lovi!" respectively. Both cringed when they had slipped those names out (though they tried to reassure themselves that Artie and Lovi were perfect nicknames for Aretha and Lovina)

* * *

Being pulled away so unceremoniously, Arthur snarled in a feminine tone, "Let go, YOU SODDING PRICK!"

Finally releasing him, Francis gave a wink, "I just felt your sexy derrière should be with me, rather than with that redhead."

Arthur, straightening the creases in his outfit, retorted, "How many times do I've to tell you- it's Lovina, not redhead." Francis raised his well-manicured eyebrow and stated, "Cherie, I believe this is the first time that you mentioned that to me."

The Brit flinched slightly because he realized he had previously corrected Francis at the musical event when he wasn't in drag, "Ah well, don't repeat it again. Now move out of my way. Lovina needs me," and was going to skate towards the Italian when Francis blocked him.

"Désolé but I cannot let you pass." Trying to keep his temper from rising, Arthur questioned why not. Francis answered, "After what I've seen so far, it's best to let Tonio be with Lovina."

Arthur frowned. "You must out of your freakin mind! Lovina should be far away from that blackmailing Spanish twat!"

Francis replied in a charming manner, "Tonio isn't that bad- he's doing all of this in the name of love. Infact, I think I should follow his tactic and do the same thing to you since you refuse to spend time with me."

Arthur narrowed his eyes at him. "I don't spend my time on you because you're a pervert who can't keep his hands to himself. In addition, you're frivolous, flirtatious and the fact that you're willing to blackmail makes you even less desirable." He wondered whether he was trying to convince himself that Francis wasn't good for him when he saw the other wearing a fond smile which seemed out-of-place since Arthur had basically insulted him in every possible way, "Why the hell are you smiling?"

Francis chuckled with a doting expression, "You reminded of someone who is very dear to me. And like you, that person used to say stuff like that." Softening a little, Arthur had an idea who the other was talking about, but was curious to know whether Francis still had feelings for him. So, he timidly asked the name of that person, trying his level best not to sound too eager. The Parisian affectionately responded, "Sourcils."

Since he knew a bit of French, Arthur's mood went through a complete 180 turn while he made sure the bangs of wig were covering his forehead. "EYEBROWS! You call the person dear to you, EYEBROWS? You arrogant wanker, what is with you and nicknames!"

France first gave a sly smile, then cocked his head and asked innocently, "Why are you losing your temper?" With a vein throbbing on his forehead, Arthur replied, "I could spend an entire year explaining that but I've better things to do like helping Lovina," and tried to move away, however Francis once again got in his way.

With a determined tone, Francis declared, "Like I mentioned before- I can't let you do that. Goodness knows what will happen if Antonio is kept away from that redh-désolé-Lovina." He later purred, "Besides, I haven't yet had my fill of looking at you, so why don't you play with me instead."

Arthur glowered as he quickly moved to the left to try to get around him but Francis proved to be a faster figure-skater, so no matter which direction Arthur went, Francis soon followed: blocking his way to go towards the Italian.

* * *

'_Dammit, this sucks_!' Not knowing the A-to-Z of skating, Lovino just stood in the middle of the ice-rink, not daring to move an inch. He looked around to see if he could get help but no one was nearby- on his left, Matthew had his hands full with Gilbert; on his right, Yao and Ivan were staring into each other's eyes, lost in their own world; while straight ahead, Arthur and Francis were playing a game of cat-and-mouse.

Just when he thought he would be stuck forever, he heard a Spanish-accented-voice behind him, "Do you need help?" At that moment, Lovino felt like he was in one of those Hitchcock's movies where the villain approaches behind the victim with the horrific music playing in the background- as much as he wanted to run, his present condition forbid him to do so. Then Lovino heard, "Do you hate me that much that you refuse to turn and see me?"

Lovino sighed and fibbed, "Not everything is about you. I can't skate- so, if you want me to see your face, then come infront of me." He later saw Antonio appear before him, skating with ease. The Spaniard smiled and extended his palm. Lovino stared at his hand and realized he had no other options but to get help from the other.

As soon as Lovino held his hand, Antonio happily chimed, "Maybe I can teach you how to skate better." The Italian growled, "NO thanks, I've done enough of figure-skating that will last me a lifetime, just get me out of here."

Antonio proceeded to show a puppy dog expression. "Aww, let's skate for awhile, por favor- it'll be fun."

Lovino tried to but couldn't resist that look, so he finally nodded and let the Spaniard take the lead as they slowly went around the ice-rink. While they were gingerly skating, Lovino noticed Antonio had become even more handsome than before: he could have any girl he wanted. Hence Lovino couldn't understand why the other was fixated on him- so he asked, "Why are you interested in hanging out with me? I'm sure you've a wide selection of girls who are dying to date you. So why me?

"Mi corazón, you might not be aware of it but you're an interesting person- you aren't afraid to say what's on your mind; you're quite bold, yet you easily get embarrassed and I know for a fact that you're a caring person." With affection painted all over his face, Antonio stated, "You're certainly different from all the girls I met so far."

After hearing that, Lovino felt like he was going to lose his balance, '_That last statement cannot be any truer_.'

He was thankful that the Spaniard didn't say 'it was love-at-first-sight' because he hated statements like that. However he noted their present relationship was like a car with the gas tank full but instead of being filled with fuel, it had water, hence the car wouldn't start: it wasn't going to go anywhere unless Lovino tells Antonio the truth. Then it slowly dawned on him, '_Aspetta, do I want him to know the truth so that I can be more involved with him_?' He immediately shook his head and convinced himself that it wasn't the case.

Having all those thoughts going through his mind, Lovino stopped moving making Antonio stop skating as well. He saw the Spaniard worryingly ask what was wrong but Lovino didn't respond as he knitted his eyebrows in concentration, '_Since I can't tell him the truth, I might as well discourage him gently so that he never causes trouble to anyone ever again. But which tactic should I use_?' At that moment, what Arthur mentioned before about Lovino singing 'Bootylicious' to Antonio popped up in his mind: that image was now a lot funnier than when he first thought about it, so he snorted slightly.

Intrigued by Lovino's sudden change in expression, Antonio inquired, "What's so funny?"

Lovino cleared his throat, "A-uhm, never mind. It's just something silly that Arthur had mentioned before." The Spaniard titled his head and asked what was it about. Lovino, of course, couldn't say what it was because it involved him shaking something which wasn't supposed to be shaken at Antonio, so he replied with a blush, "You won't get it- it's an inside joke."

Noticing the rosy tint forming on the Italian's face, Antonio's expression darkened, "You and Arthur seem to get along. Do you both regularly meet up? "

Lovino started to panic as soon as he saw Antonio's grim mood- last time when he slipped out Yao's name, the Spaniard went and confronted him. Now that Lovino absentmindedly mentioned Arthur's name to Antonio, he was sure nothing good would come out of it, '_Why do I keep slipping their names out like that. DIO, it is exhausting to maintain things which happen in the Lovina's life and things which happen in Lovino's life without them crossing over_!' He then quickly stated, "No, Arthur and I are just friends: nothing more, nothing less. Just friends, hai capito?"

Antonio nodded, "Si, even Francis said the same thing." and later thought, '_He also said just-friends wasn't a good thing_.'

Lovino wondered why Francis' name was being brought up but he wanted to focus his attention in making Antonio forget he mentioned about Arthur, hence he decided to change topics by asking. "H-how come these you haven't been visiting the cafe?"

Hearing that question, Antonio thought, '_I want to ask her whether she missed me, but I know she'll lose her temper if I try to make her get flustered_,' so even though he would've liked to see Lovina blushing as bright as a tomato, he decided to answer that question normally, "The 'Annual Theatre Show' is coming up and I want to make sure I give my best performance which is why I haven't come to the cafe regularly."

While they started to slowly skate again, Lovino came to a realization: Antonio hadn't invited him to watch his play. The previous weeks before, he had constantly tried to get the Italian to come to the musical event with him. However Lovino found it odd that Antonio remained silent (until now) about something as significant as this since it was his area of expertise. Thinking about it, he asked, "Does your performance at the show affect your over-all grades by any chance?"

"Si, it does but there is another reason why I want to perform my best. I invited my parents to come to the show." Lovino saw Antonio having a sad expression, so he asked what was wrong. The Spaniard replied, "My parents don't really encourage my career choice- they feel I'm wasting my time." Lovino recalled Antonio mentioned about his uncle owning a cafe but later learnt his family owned a chain of cafes: in other words, Antonio was rich which didn't surprise him since the 'always-get-what-I-want' attitude usually was associated stubborn rich brats. Antonio finally stated, "I was hoping if they saw how well I performed, they might give their consent to let me continue my acting."

Listening to him, Lovino firmly responded, "Your fate isn't bound by your parents. I hope you realize that." Antonio looked surprised by how blunt the other was, but Lovino paid no heed to that expression as he continued, "Sure, you're going to tell me that it's none-of-my-business, and yea it is none-of-my-business, but I just want you to know you shouldn't let others dedicate how you live your life. If people like what you do, then fan-freakin-tastic but if they don't, then F*CK'EM."

Antonio was obviously stunned the Italian's crude statement, however instead of saying not to interfere in his affairs, he smiled. "I've always liked that you spoke your mind: that was good advice. I'll keep that in mind." Staring at the other, he stated, "Mi vida, thank you for being concerned about my well-being."

Lovino turned a darker shade of red by the level of the sincerity of his statement, "It's not like I said it for you per se. Don't take it so personally, dammit!" Antonio smiled even more as he slowly took the blushing Italian along the ice-rink.

Seeing it was getting late, Yao decided it was time to leave. Turning to observe his surroundings, Yao was stunned to see what was happening: Arthur wasn't with Lovino but with Francis (both facing each other looking unusually out-of-breath) and Matthew was still with Gilbert who tried to put up a brave front to show he wasn't scared of skating (however him holding onto Matthew canceled it out). The only couple who looked like they were actually having fun were Lovino and Antonio which was odd because Lovino looked relatively calm for someone who was suppose to bear a grudge against the other, '_I guess this means he likes him more than he realizes_.'

Yao then proceeded to regroup everyone but before they could go, Ivan wanted to take them to a private VIP room to have some refreshments. However, Yao and Arthur wanted to leave immediately- Yao was feeling extremely susceptible right now and didn't want to show it to the others while Arthur on the other hand, realizing his newfound love for Lovino, needed to clear his head to know whether if it was just an infatuation or has he really gotten over Francis.

Not wanting to be left alone with the other four men, Matthew and Lovino decided it was best to leave with their colleagues.

Ivan surprisingly hadn't threatened Yao to stay behind, instead he arranged a company car to drive the 'waitresses' back. After saying their goodbyes to each other, the Quartet got into the car knowing this whole experience wasn't going to be a one-time thing.

x

**A/N:**Tried a hand in writing a fun chapter- hope we didn't fail


	15. Chapter 15

**THE CAFE OF DOUBLE LIVES...**

**Chapter 15**

After seeing the 'waitresses' off for their 'date', Feliks locked up the cafe and decided to go home. He was glad he had the foresight to give a set of keys to Yao before they left- hence he didn't have to wait for them to return to the cafe so that they could change back into their normal-avatars.

As he walked towards the pedestrian crossing, Feliks had a lot on his mind. The amount of missed calls which he received from Orlando added more weight to his list of worries. He didn't want to face him because his cousin was the instigator of all his problems. Feliks didn't want a scenario to happen where in the end, he subconsciously lashes out at Orlando just because he's related to Antonio, only to regret it later.

Not only did he have to worry about Antonio using his cafe as blackmail-material, he was completely concerned about Elizabeta. He wondered whether her health was being affected but whenever he asked if anything was wrong, she replied saying everything was fine. But he knew she wasn't telling the whole truth because she was lifeless and was in a daze most of the time. He missed her vivacious, high-spirited nature (he also missed her BoyCrazy antics: he always had a laugh whenever she tried to pair random people up).

And though the Polish senior found her cheeky at times, he really didn't mind the teasing. Being best-friends for long time, Elizabeta became the apple of his eye which why he was now anxious as what was happening to her.

While he was brooding, Feliks started to feel light-headed. He knew it wasn't the heat, since the evening temperature wasn't warm at all but he started to slowly lose consciousness and began swaying. He heard one of the pedestrians saying, "Are you feeling alright?" However he couldn't answer as he lost his balance and fell to the ground. He then heard someone shouting, "He needs get to hospital, call 911". Feliks thought, '_Nooooo, I don't want to go to a hospital. Those patient gowns are totally not cool_!' but before he could say anything, everything went black.

Feliks wasn't sure how long he was out but when he slowly opened his eyes, he saw a white ceiling. Turning to his right, he saw someone who looked like a hospital patient lying on a bed which was a few feet away from his own bed. Realizing where he was, he gasped and looked to see what he was wearing. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that he was still wearing the same clothes he had donned throughout the day.

"They were going to change you into one of those patient gowns but knowing how much you disliked them, I arrived just in time to stop them," Feliks turned to his left and saw Orlando sitting there, "Since it was a case of work-related-stress, it wasn't needed for you to wear the gown: so in the end, they listened to me."

Slowly sitting up, Feliks replied, "You're a life-saver for convincing them not to put me in one of those gowns. They are like so lame," a patient who was walking by infront of them, gave him a grumpy stare. Feliks gave a thumbs-up, "But it totally looks cool on you, Sir." After that patient walked on, the blond turned to Orlando silently mouthing the word, 'NO'

Orlando gave a small laugh while shaking his head. After awhile, he said, "I guess I should inform your employees that you're here."

Feliks immediately responded, "Don't do that. I don't want to trouble them any further." Orlando inquired, "Trouble them? With what?"

The Polish senior was stumped- he knew having a conversation which involved a blackmailing relative would be awkward to have, so he improvised, "Uhm, making them wear those costumes," and realized it sounded like a load of CRAP even to his own ears. He saw his batchmate wasn't buying it either.

Orlando finally sighed, "You know, you're shutting me out." When Feliks stated it wasn't true, he rebutted, "Really? Cause I feel like I'm being punished for something and I'm not sure what it is." Not breaking eye-contact with Feliks, he continued, "You haven't been answering my calls and you've been avoiding me at the university. Not only that, you haven't requested me to help you design any of the latest cafe costumes. If you're doing all of it by yourself, it's no wonder why you're suffering from stress, though I'm sure there are other factors involved."

Feliks trying to sound truthful, "There is nothing going on. I admit I've been totally busy to return your calls. I just felt like I could handle everything by myself which was why I didn't contact you." He begged, "Please just don't tell them. I feel totally super and I want to go home since I really hate being in hospitals."

His batchmate watched him for a few minutes before getting up from his seat. "Fine, I'll go and get one of the doctors to examine you- if everything is alright, then we'll leave."

Feliks replied, "Thanks," and when Orlando was near the door, he asked, "By the way, how did you know where I was?"

Orlando smiled, "My contact info was in your wallet– one of the pedestrians called me saying the paramedics were taking you to this hospital, so I came here as fast as I could," and left the room.

The blond felt bewildered by that revelation and looked around to see if his bag was nearby. Finding it next to Orlando's backpack, he grabbed it and started to search for his wallet which he had recently bought from Paris. Finally when he got it, he opened it and was completely surprised. Why? Well, even though he hated visiting hospitals (hence made sure to avoid it as much as possible), he always wrote down a contact list in his wallet in case of an emergency (his definition of an 'emergency' would be his deathbed)- however he would always put Toris' contact info, yet right now, he was looking at Orlando's contact info instead in his brand-new-wallet. '_This is my handwriting no doubt but I, like, don't remember writing this down_.'

He then saw Orlando had bought one of the doctors along with him. Feliks hadn't heard a single word that was coming out of the doctor's mouth. All he did was stare at Orlando, thinking, '_And my list of worries just keeps on getting bigger. Damn you cupid- you totally couldn't resist aiming that arrow to my heart, could ya_?'

* * *

Meanwhile at the dorms, Adnan was furious after having a meeting with the dorm-president. He needed things to be cleared up: there was only one person who was able to achieve that. This meant he had to go towards the library located inside the University. Adnan knew after rehearsals, Heracles would go to the library to read philosophy books– he had stated before that it helped him concentrate better. Adnan went with expression 'whatever-floats-your-boat' when he first heard that and always left Heracles alone whenever he went there. Now he thought differently, '_Time to sink it_.'

Upon entering the library, he was about to inquire if anyone had seen Heracles. However he realized he didn't have to– all he had to do was follow the gazes of the lovestruck students. When he reached his destination, Adnan banged on the table, "We need to talk!"

Heracles looked up from his book, obviously irked that he was being disturbed but before he could say anything, everyone went, "SHHHHHHH!"

Seeing the annoyed looks, Heracles decided to pack his things and motioned Adnan to follow him. They walked through the corridors of the University for awhile til they were outside one of the seminar rooms with no-one-in-sight. The Greek surprised Adnan when he fished a set of keys from his bag. When he asked how he got them, Heracles replied, "My mother is one of the co-heads for the drama dept, remember?"

'_Figures! Mama's boy must have convinced her to give him a duplicate set_.' Adnan always felt Mrs Hera Karpusi was an attractive woman. He even once mentioned to Heracles that his mother was a MILF– next thing he knew was, his gut started to hurt because Heracles punched him really hard, '_I don't want a repeat of that_,' so he kept silent as he watched the Greek put the key in the lock.

Opening the door, Heracles was surprised to find not only was the door previously unlocked but one of light-switches was already switched on, '_Hmm, this is odd_,' but later paid no heed as he flicked on more switches.

Adnan on the other hand, noticed Heracles left the keys on the door-lock even after locking it, '_He still has this horrible habit_'- this always irritated him when the Greek did that especially when Adnan was outside the dormroom door because it meant that no matter how many times he turned the lock, the door wouldn't open since the damn key was still inside on the other side of the door.

Finally when the room was illuminated enough, Adnan saw they were in a huge room. Walking towards the lecturer's desk, Adnan saw many rows of stairs and on these stairs were rows of seats. He thought he saw something on the last row, however his attention was summoned elsewhere when he heard Heracles loudly say, "Alright, now we can talk. What is it that you want to discuss?"

Adnan turned to look at the other and replied just as loud, "I had a meeting with the dorm-president who informed me that you requested to shift to another dormroom. Why do you want to move out suddenly? What the hell is going on!"

Heracles now declared in his usual calm nonchalant voice, "You know fully well what is going on."

The Turk then stated in a uncertain manner, "If this is about the kiss which we shared, then I admit it was startling for me too, but we can get past it: think of it as a moment of pure-animalistic-impulse which you couldn't control. With that thought in mind, I'm sure we'll be able to put it behind us."

Heracles gave an incredulous look, "Is that how you saw it?" Adnan was surprised by his expression but he nodded nonetheless. Now, the jade-eyed man glared at him, "YOU... Who do you think I am!" and then looking visibly pissed, he growled, "I really want to punch you right now."

Adnan took a step back, recalling the punch which he had received earlier for making the MILF comment. "What did I do wrong! How else am I suppose to see it after having been kissed by the Resident Sex God- there is a reason why you're named so."

Calming himself down, Heracles stated, "For your information, the truth is always stretched." The amber-eyed man retorted, "But there is some truth involved, right? You can't blame me for thinking this way."

Heracles stared at him before inquiring, "Since you think that way, I want to know– what you do think of all the things that we did in the past?"

Adnan knew he was going to get punched but he felt there should be honesty involved if they were going to get to the bottom of things, so he decided not to sugarcoat his response, "Two male animals in heat satisfying each other," and readied himself for an attack but he saw the other putting his back against the wall.

In a dreary tone, the Greek asked, "You honestly believe I would do all of that to any random person for so long without any feelings attached?"

"Hold on, what is with all these questions!" Adnan raised his hands up in surrender. "Besides, weren't you in love with Elizabeta too- wasn't that one of reasons why you wanted to vent your frustrations with me?" When Heracles questioned what he was on about, he answered, "That day when Roderich and Elizabeta went public with their relationship, I saw you looking at them the same way I was looking at them... a painful look of longing."

Heracles sighed, "I never felt anything for Elizabeta. At that time, I was thinking about how you would be feeling- how heartbroken you would be after seeing that."

Adnan was too shocked to say anything because he was sure Heracles had feelings for Elizabeta. Now, with this recent revelation, he didn't know what to think.

Heracles observed Adnan for sometime before looking away, "I've always sailed through life which was why I never took anything seriously- it was the same with how I approached relationships. I never really committed to anyone- I didn't feel the need to," titling his head towards the Turk, "You, on the other hand, with your determined earnest behaviour, singlemindedly pursued Elizabeta. Yet whenever you spoke to her, you kind of clamped up," He gave a slight chortle before continuing, "Atfirst, I thought you were an idiot for messing up your chances every-single-time but later I found it endearing that this strong, serious, extremely competitive person could turn into a such cute bumbling mess whenever his crush was near him."

The Turk scowled because he felt Heracles was looking down on him but again was silenced when he declared, "It kind of made me wish you would be like that with me, which was why when you were having that phase where you couldn't concentrate on anything, I decided to make my move- I felt it would be easier to capture you when you were least guarded."

Adnan was now gaping at him since Heracles had just casually declared without much afterthought that he was being manipulative and didn't even apologize for taking advantage of his vulnerability- the Turk wanted to point this out but he felt if he did, then he would end up sounding like a persecuted-maiden and that was the last thing Adnan wanted to be (there was no way he would be the 'girl' in any relationship), so he remained silent.

"That day when Elizabeta and Roderich went public with their relationship, I knew you would be heartbroken but at the same time, I had hoped you would've accepted me by then," Heracles later turned towards Adnan, "However after brooding over her for some time, you just went on with your life- that always baffled me how you were able to pretend like nothing ever happened between us."

Folding his arms, Heracles showed a look which clearly translated to 'You're such a heartless d*ck' as he stated, "Now I realize you never took me seriously." He then frowned, "I still can't get over the fact you went for that date with Hassan."

Finally finding his voice, Adnan replied, "It's not like I could have stood him up. I had already agreed to go over the phone."

Heracles spat venomously, "But you still went even after I kissed you. Do you've any idea how I felt at that time?"

Adnan quickly responded to defend himself, "Actually I didn't and most of the time, I don't: it's cause you're hard to read. I really don't know what you're feeling half of the time."

The Greek narrowed his eyes, "Is that so? Then let me take this opportunity to make myself clear," coming closer to him, Heracles proclaimed sternly, "It's either you dating Hassan with me being your ex-roommate or me staying as your roommate while we take our relationship to the next level. You choose."

Adnan, in turn, backed away, stunned by how forceful Heracles was, when normally he was laidback in his approach, '_Well, he was a bit forceful whenever we did our 'charade', so maybe I shouldn't be surprised_.' Trying not to look as if he was threatened, Adnan huffed in irritation, "You insolent brat! How dare you put me in the corner!"

Heracles sarcastically thought, '_He says Antonio is over-dramatic but this guy could easily take the crown_,' and felt he must love Adnan enough to put up with all of this along with his obliviousness. He rolled his eyes, "Brat? I'm only a few months younger than you," and later scoffed, "Putting you in the corner? Well, excuse me for giving you an ultimatum. I just felt since you're too dense, it's better to openly put the options out there on the table."

The amber-eyed man wanted to stick his tongue out at Heracles but he then realized it would make him seem even less mature than the other, so he decided against it. As he reflected over the two options, Adnan had a sad expression when he asked, "If I do date Hassan, would you refuse to talk to me?"

Heracles thought about it for awhile before answering, "We wouldn't be roommates anymore but I'll talk to you whenever we meet or have classes together."

As soon as the jade-eyed man said that, Adnan started to mull over his options again. If he dated Hassan, he would end up losing Heracles as a roommate but he would still be his friend and they would remain on talking-terms. However, if he dated Heracles, the possibility of them remaining as lovers for long was debatable and if they broke up, then not only would he be losing a roommate but also a friend. Plus them being on talking-terms can also be forgotten since Adnan has seen what had happened to all of Heracles past lovers: he hadn't kept in contact with any of them, so Adnan was sure he would share the same fate if they broke up.

Adnan begun to remember the period when Heracles stopped talking to him and he started to recall how hurt he was when the Greek ignored him, '_I don't want that to happen again_.'

While Adnan was taking his time to give his answer, Heracles started feeling antsy but was slightly grateful, '_I guess I should be glad that he's seriously giving some deep thought to it. Maybe there is hope for us to be together_.' He then realized just because you wished for something to happen, doesn't mean it would always come true– especially after hearing Adnan slowly give his final decision, "Heracles... I'm... sorry... but... I..." however the Greek didn't want to hear the rest of it, so lunged forward.

What Heracles did next completely surprised Adnan but he wasn't the only one who wasn't expecting this. In the far end, behind the last row of the seats, was a crouching Korean.

YongSoo never considered himself to be a peeping-tom (though many would disagree) so he didn't mean to eavesdrop on their conversation, nor did he mean to film it: it was just that while he was going towards the dorms that evening, he saw some birds flying around. Since his selection for the 'Film Festival' dealt with the various species of birds, he wanted to get them on film. He wanted to get a better closeup but those birds were hovering high around the west-end of the building. The only way he could get a good closeup was to go the main seminar room of the building and film them while watching through one of the windows present.

The Korean was finally able to unlock the door using a bob-pin and flicked on one of the light switches before he set out what he came to do. But just as he switched the video-camera on, he heard the door being open. Luckily for him, since it wasn't too bright, he was able to quickly hid without being noticed. When he looked over to see who came, he was startled to Adnan and Heracles entering the room. He was sure Adnan had spotted him but again fortunately for him, Heracles had grabbed the Turk's attention before he was caught.

Now even though, YongSoo knew this was a private conversation, he couldn't stop stealthily filming them. This was because the emotions which were being shown on their faces were hypnotizing: infact, he decided to flick on the zoom button to capture their facial expressions, '_Maybe it's cause they belong to the drama-department that they emote so well, daze_.'

However, what YongSoo saw in the end, stunned him the most. While he was filming, he made sure to zoom out so that he would get everything down on film. '_I wonder if Kiku will finally let me claim his breasts if I show him this_?' He could only hope.

x

**A/N:** Hera Karpusi is Ancient-Greece... Since Heracles/Adnan are 'seme' material, it made sense that both are more-or-less equals (you know, when one strong personality tries to dominate another strong personality, it makes everything spicier & UST even stronger ^_^)

_The response we got is wonderful- we'll write down more chapters that would be worthy of your reviews_


	16. Chapter 16

**THE CAFE OF DOUBLE LIVES...**

**Chapter 16**

The days after the group-date went peacefully. The only commotion taking place was that longtime roommates, Heracles and Adnan, had decided to live separately. No-one was sure what were the details behind that decision because both parties involved haven't shown up at the cafe since they were participating in the 'Annual Theatre Show' which was going to take place in their University Auditorium. Even Antonio who belonged to the drama-dept, didn't make his appearance for awhile.

However just because Antonio didn't come, it didn't mean his friends wouldn't either. While Arthur would give a few choice words to Francis, Matthew didn't mind Gilbert hanging around so much. Infact, out-of-all the 'waitresses' present, Matthew seemed to be only one who was the most comfortable in his cafe-avatar: this was made clearer to the others, when he would regularly go on dates with Gilbert as 'Matilda' eversince the group-date happened. They also noticed Gilbert hadn't stopped trying to prove Matilda was Matthew but the violet-eyed man was always a step ahead of him.

Now on a Friday night, the 'waitresses' dressed as librarians (white dress-shirt & grey kneelength-pencil-skirt while donning specs) noticed Francis and Gilbert were still in their seats even though it was near to closing-time. They then saw the reason why the duo stayed back for so long when the tiny bell infront of the door rang. Seeing Antonio standing at the entrance made everyone tensed up.

Lovino approached him while the three 'waitresses' watched them warily. The Italian sighed, "I don't suppose you came here just to pick up these retards," jerking his thumb at Gilbert and Francis.

Antonio shook his head, "No, en serio, I came to ask you something." Lovino frowned, '_You mean, you came to blackmail again_,' but decided to hear him out, "I was hoping if you could come tomorrow to the 'Annual Theatre Show' to see me perform." Staring at him with hope in his eyes, he continued, "Since I know you would like your friends to join you, I would like to invite them too," Antonio then surprised the Italian by saying, "But it's fine if you don't want to come. I won't hold it against you."

Lovino proceeded to show a doubtful look, "Really?"

Antonio replied in sincerity, "I didn't want to force you this time, which is why I didn't buy the tickets beforehand to show you that you aren't obligated to come."

The Italian was silent, wondering why he wasn't acting his usual-demanding-self, before asking, "Have your parents decided to come to see you act?" to which Antonio answered with a weak smile, "No, it seems they've the same opinion as before."

Lovino stared at him for awhile before going towards the others while Antonio joined his friends. When his colleagues asked Lovino what the Spaniard wanted this time, Lovino relayed everything which was discussed between them. Matthew wore a surprised expression, "_**He's actually giving you the option to decline**_?" Lovino nodded. Yao asked next, "_**Are you sure he won't blackmail if you don't go, aru**_? to which he nodded again. Finally Arthur stated, "_**This is surprising- did something happen on the previous date to make him have a change of heart**_?" Lovino thought about it and responded he wasn't sure why Antonio was acting like this.

While the Quartet were deciphering Antonio's actions, Gilbert from the Trio declared, "Ladies, I advise you to take Antonio's invitation cause tomorrow's show is gonna be awesome since it's headed by the greatest professor on the face of this earth- Professor Frederich, who sometimes is referred to as Old Fritz."

Francis added with a taunting smirk, "Oui, as you can see from the sparkles in his eyes, 'Old Fritz' is his favourite: so if you don't come tomorrow, you'll miss Gil fangasming over him."

Arthur slightly smirked as well while Gilbert was telling Francis off- he knew about Gilbert's obsession over that professor, though he never understood why Gilbert acted like a groupie whenever Professor Frederich was nearby. Of course that didn't mean he wouldn't tease about it just like how Francis was doing right now.

* * *

Finally it was Matthew who was able to stop a mini-squabble from happening between the two friends. "I'm sorry but I'll be busy tomorrow evening."

As much as Matthew would've enjoyed to get the glimpse of anything theatrical, he already made plans– he had promised Alfred to watch over his baby son, William (it took a lot of convincing on Alfred's part to make Michelle leave William with him, so that they could have atleast one evening alone together. Since Michelle trusted her brother-in-law to be a responsible adult, she finally gave into Alfred's demands).

Now when Gilbert heard 'Matilda' state that, it looked like the head-hamster in Gilbert's brain started running really fast til he gave a lopsided grin, "Since you can't come, Mattie can accompany me instead."

'_Maple, he never gives up, does he_?' Matthew quickly responded, "That isn't a possibility," When Gilbert asked why not, he gave a little white-lie, "It's because Matthew doesn't like being in crowded places."

"I'm sure he'll agree to come if the request from yours truly- if he doesn't, then I'll stop being buds with him." Gilbert declared this while watching Matilda like a hawk to see if the other would show any noticeable reactions.

Everyone now observed the interaction between Matthew and Gilbert with interest: the 'waitresses' saw Matthew looking as cool as a cucumber (they were certain he wouldn't slip up). They also noticed his voice was unusually cold when he spoke.

"It slightly boggles me that your group is fond of using blackmail, though I'm utterly surprised you would resort to using emotional-blackmail. For shame, Gilbert- I expected better from you," while Matthew was calmly talking, it looked like Gilbert was shrinking in his place, "The fact that you completely ignored the previous statement and wanted to subject Matthew to something which he doesn't want to do, shows you in a poor light." As he continued to admonish silver-haired man, Matthew looked at him straight in the eye and warned, "This isn't highschool- if you try to peer pressure Matthew, I'll bet he will drop you like a hot potato."

Oddly enough, with his current outfit, Matthew looked like a teacher while Gilbert looked like a highschooler who was just reprimanded for bad behaviour. After awhile, the silver-haired man guiltily nodded and promised he wouldn't do it.

Yao was pleasantly surprised. Having a newfound respect for Matthew, he turned to whisper to Lovino, "_**It's amazing to see Matthew looking so confident since most of the time, he's timid, aru**_."

Even Lovino had the same opinion but just as he was about to reply, he saw Antonio going towards Elizabeta who had appeared from the kitchen, '_I wonder what that bastard is upto now_.'

Standing infront of Elizabeta, Antonio gingerly chose his words, "During our last date, Lovina mentioned you were feeling down and she was worried about your depression." Not shying away from her scathing-glare, he finally said, "I've a feeling I'm responsible for it."

Making a clicking noise with her tongue, Elizabeta jeered, "I see, you aren't as stupid as you look." She later asked while showing a more vicious look, "How do you think I'm suppose to feel knowing I'm the one who gave you the info to blackmail my best-friend? I can't believe you would do something like that."

Antonio stood firm and replied, "I've my reasons, but I don't think you'll understand." Elizabeta rebuked, "Well, I don't want to listen to your reasons- I just want to bash you up."

"If it'll make you feel better, then hit me wherever you like," Antonio noticed she was confused when he said that. "Elizabeta, I'm sorry if I caused you any pain. For that, you can do whatever you want to me."

The Spaniard saw she was contemplating on what to do, though it looked like she really wanted to hit him, so he prepared himself for that– he was expecting a fist to his face. He wasn't expecting for a knee to come crashing into his groin. Gasping out in pain, he cried, "M-MY vital regions!"

Stepping back, Elizabeta thought, '_Wow, that felt good but I still feel guilty though. Looks like Kiku is right, I need to speak with Feliks._' Observing Antonio who was now crouching on the floor with his hands covering his family-jewels, she felt slightly amused, '_Hmm, who knew kicking this guy in the nads would give me the courage to do just that_,' and walked towards Feliks' office.

Everyone watched the whole scenario with stunned expressions. Arthur whispered to Matthew, "_**I don't understand what just happened but I think we got our old Lizzy back**_," while Lovino went towards the kitchen to get Antonio an ice-pack.

* * *

After knocking, Elizabeta heard Feliks giving her the permission to enter his office. Opening the door to step inside, she saw Feliks looking up from his desk who proceeded to show a worried expression, "Elizabeta, is there something wrong?"

Whatever courage Elizabeta had, slipped away, but she managed to speak, "I need to discuss some things with you."

"Sure, please come in," Feliks stood up from his seat and walked infront of the desk. He saw her closing the door, and moved towards him but stopped a few feet away from him. Looking down, she was reluctant to start any form of conversation, so he said, "You can tell me anything: I'll totally be there to support you."

He had hoped saying this, would break the ice-barrier which was quickly forming between them, instead he saw her flinch, "Saying that, makes it even more difficult for me to tell you what is needed to be said." Afraid she might change her mind to confide in him, Feliks decided to keep quiet and let her talk.

After several gruesome minutes-of-silence, Elizabeta stated with her lower lip quivering, "I'm the reason why you're going through all of this trouble," Feliks wasn't sure what she was talking about but he let her continue talking, "Antonio wondered why none of the college-students were visiting here, so I told him it's because you wanted this place to remain a secret from our college-mates. I never expected him to use that info to put you in a difficult position."

"When Lovino mentioned the reason why you did so, it made me feel more terrible than I already did- I swear I never meant for any of this to happen," She now covered her face with her palms to hide her guilt. "I'm sorry. Had I known this was how you felt, I also would've never made you divulge your secret to Lovino during the Truth-or-Dare game. But I understand why you didn't tell me about your fears and worries, afterall, I did blab to Antonio."

Elizabeta heard Feliks ask in a tone which was void of any emotion, "Is this the reason why you were depressed recently?" She nodded, bracing herself for the worse to come. She was sure he would first voice his disappointment and then cut her off from his life, so she was baffled to find herself in his arms. She became more confused when he finally said, "Dzięki Bogu. Don't scare me like that, you wench!"

"Huh?" Elizabeta voiced her astonishment as she lowered her hands from her face and looked up at Feliks. Never in her twenty-something-years, did she expect this. So she just stood there like a deer caught in the headlights, unable to return the hug.

Feliks wouldn't let her go as he explained, "I thought you were coming down with some terrible illness since you were looking so lifeless. It's assuring to know you're alright." With her eyes watering, she asked why he wasn't angry. He replied, "Duh, I'm very angry with you- for making me worry unnecessarily. But other than that, I don't see why I should be cross with you."

Trying to make sure her voice doesn't break, "But I told Antonio..." she was sure what was happening right now was a dream. Her resolve-to-talk shook when she saw him giving a heart-warming smile.

Feliks caressed her cheek to show he wasn't mad at her at all, "I know you would, like, never intentionally harm me in any way. There are only a few who would've my back: one of them is you," Giving a small shrug, he continued, "What happened with Antonio is something none of us could have controlled- it wouldn't have mattered how he got the info, he totally would have still used it to his advantage."

With smile on his face, Feliks stated, "Concerning about the Truth-or-Dare game, it's a good thing that you did it that day cause I immediately got an employee soon after Toris left: so it all worked out for the best." She now slowly hugged him back and mumbled into his shoulder, "How can you be this forgiving– you're making me feel worse than I already am."

He returned the hug and chided, "Think of this as payback for making me worry so much, causing me to lose my beauty-sleep in the process."

Elizabeta snorted slightly, "For making you lose your beauty sleep, please let me treat you for a weekend out at the Spa."

Hearing that, Feliks pulled her away, holding her by the shoulders, "You aren't joking, right? I'm totally taking up on that offer– you can't back away now."

Elizabeta giggled but before she could reply, the door burst open and the Quartet tumbled out onto the floor: Yao being the unluckiest since he was under that pile. "AIYAA, you all are heavy- get off before you crush me!"

Immediately the 'waitresses' scrambled off the floor with Arthur closing the door while Lovino and Matthew helped Yao to his feet. Feeling embarrassed that they got caught for eavesdropping, they didn't make eye-contact with the duo as their faces redden.

* * *

The Hungarian had a small smile on her face seeing how cute the Quartet were acting. She finally decided to break the silence, "Did you guys hear most of what was being said." When she saw them reluctantly giving an affirmation, she responded, "For what you all have gone through, I hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me. Especially you, Lovino."

Lovino turned to look at her to see she actually was remorseful, so he replied, "I've the same opinion as Feliks- it wouldn't have mattered how the bastard got the info, he would've still used it to make me go on a date. Don't beat yourself up."

Elizabeta felt relieved when she saw the others too had the same opinion. Arthur later proclaimed with a smirk, "Besides, the kick you gave Antonio made everything so worthwhile." They all nodded in agreement, singing their praises for her- she inturn snickered saying the Spaniard deserved it for taking advantage of her naiveté.

Feliks raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Antonio came today? I thought he was too busy preparing for tomorrow's show?" Lovino shed light on everything that occurred while the blond was in his office. Feliks was taken aback, "He isn't forcing you to go?"

Lovino replied with thoughtful expression, "Yea but I'm actually considering his request though."

Arthur, standing next to Lovino, was absolutely dumbfounded, "WHAT? Why? It's not necessary for you to... Waitaminute," slowly it looked like revelation came upon him who then asked, "Did something actually happened during the date while I wasn't there?"

To Matthew, the scene next to him seemed completely off, '_Eh? It looks like Arthur is accusing his lover of philandering_.' Shaking his head, he started to convince himself that it wasn't the case and he was reading too much into it when he saw Lovino wasn't wearing the look of a cheating-spouse as he stated his reasons.

"No, but there's a good reason why I want to go," After Lovino had explained what all Antonio had told him the previous night about his parents, they all started to understand why he was agreeing to do this, "I know I don't owe him anything but I also know how it feels not to have family-members backing you up."

Arthur stared at Lovino for awhile before saying, "Alright, I'll come along with you." Elizabeta chipped in just as quickly, "I'll join as well!"

Lovino was stunned that these two were willing to accompany him, "Aspetta, just because I'm going doesn't mean you guys have to come along." Feeling overwhelmed that they cared for him so much, Lovino blushed as he looked at Arthur, "T..the show is taking place at our University Auditorium, so I know this will be uncomfortable for you to meet our college-mates in drag. I don't want to trouble you."

The Brit smiled. "It's fine: I like the theatre, so I don't mind showing up as Aretha to watch it." The thankful look which Lovino was directing towards him made Arthur feel guilty since he only agreed to come along just to keep an eye on any further development between Lovino and Antonio: the suspicion in his heart that something transpired between the two wouldn't stop growing, so he had to check it out for himself.

When Lovino questioned why Elizabeta was joining, she answered, "I'm coming to make up for bailing on you the last time- I'm sure Roderich will agree to this."

Not everyone was willing to join them though. Yao immediately responded, "You guys are on your own, aru. I decided to do a completely different project and I'm going to submit that as my entry for the 'Local Art Show', so I need all the time that I can get." Eversince the date happened, Yao's state-of-mind had been in a mess: he was sure Ivan disliked him all these years, yet what was revealed that day told otherwise. He thought things would get awkward after the date, but Ivan hadn't been visiting the cafe for some reason. In the end, Yao decided to reach out to the Russian by sending him an invitation for the exhibition.

Turning to look at Lovino, Yao inquired, "By the way, have you completed yours, aru?" The Italian replied, "All I need is a few finishing touches, but I'm going to need some time off work to complete my painting too."

One would've thought this would have worried Feliks, that two of his employees wouldn't be coming to the cafe for awhile but he knew about it- Yao informed him that he wouldn't be showing up from tomorrow onwards while Lovino on the other hand, stated he wouldn't come next week. This was because they had to prepare for the exhibition where all of the students' art-works were to be showcased in 'Athena's Shrine', one of main galleries in their city. This was an important for those who were associated in that field, so he granted them leave til the exhibition was over.

While everyone was discussing, Matthew thought without feeling sad, '_I guess they'll ignore my opinion_,' but became surprised when they all turned towards him- he was sure they were going to overlook his presence like how most people did, so he didn't expect them to ask for his input, "Sorry but I wasn't lying to Gilbert about not being able to go tomorrow evening. I had promised Al that I'd babysit my nephew, I won't be able to make it either." When Arthur asked how the newly-formed Jones family was doing, Matthew replied, "They are fine and William's an absolute bundle-of-joy. You should visit them: they would love to have you over." Arthur smiled and said he would in the future.

Taking note of how many people were going, Elizabeta finally turned to Feliks and told him that he doesn't need to worry about their wardrobe- the others could just borrow some of her clothes. Now, with all the bases covered, the group decided to meet the Trio and inform them that along with Lovina; Aretha, Elizabeta and Roderich would be joining- so, if they wanted them to come to the show then the Trio should buy the tickets for them.

Hearing the Italian had agreed to watch him perform without any badgering from his side, Antonio became extremely delighted and responded he would send the tickets before limping out of the cafe with Francis and Gilbert ribbing him as they followed their wounded comrade.

x

**A/N:** Athena is also the Goddess-of-domestic arts, so the gallery (where the exhibition is taking place) is coined as 'Athena's Shrine' ... In canon, Austria & Spain are the only 2 characters so far, to say "my vital regions"- hence couldn't resist mentioning it XD ... Canada's name here is Matthew William Jones to make him related to Alfred Jones. Though America isn't focused, Alfred cares for his brother and what better way to show his appreciation other than naming the first-born-child of his & Seychelles' after him (i.e. using Matthew's second name 'William') ... We know the readers are here for SpaMano, so we hope introducing RoAr pairing [ROmano/ARthur- both are tsunderes, so there's bound to be some roaring ^0^] doesn't alienate anyone.


	17. Chapter 17

**THE CAFE OF DOUBLE LIVES...**

**Chapter 17**

Next Saturday morning, the group wasn't sure whether to take it as sign that things wouldn't go well: Feliks received a frantic call from Arthur saying that not only was his landlady paying him a visit, his three brothers decided to show up all-of-a-sudden, so he wouldn't be coming over to the cafe. Everyone was glad Arthur decided to stay away since they knew (from all the stories he had shared) what a rowdy bunch his brothers were.

The only problem now was that Arthur's wig and the clothes -which Elizabeta had brought for him- were at the cafe. However, that problem was solved quickly when Matthew stated since Arthur's place was on his way, he could deliver the stuff to him when his shift ended. Matthew also pointed out he needed to return Arthur's GAP backpack (he'd kill two birds with one stone). With that settled, things sort of proceeded smoothly.

Sometime later, Francis showed up at the cafe to deliver the tickets to Feliks; the other waitresses were busy with the patrons. The Parisian noticed Aretha was missing and inquired about her whereabouts. Not being a master of 'quick-thinking', Feliks told him the Brit was too busy to come since she had family visiting- atfirst, he began to panic but soon calmed down when he realized that particular info shouldn't harm anyone. He later informed Francis that Aretha would make it to the show nonetheless along with the other three.

While Francis came out of the office, he spotted Lovina eyeing him warily. He teasingly said, "Pas de soucis. You all won't be sitting near Gil and me in the University Auditorium." Feeling embarrassed that his mind was being read, the Italian told Francis to either order something or get lost. With a "honhonhon," he replied, "It's boring to be here since mon petit chou is missing. Au revoir," and left the cafe.

Lovino thought, '_Che, that won't be last that we'll see of him today. Luckily we won't sitting near those retards_,' and went to serve the other customers.

As the evening approached, Lovino and the others started to get ready. For that night's outfit, Elizabeta provided Lovino a pair of black ballerina-flats and a denim-blue-skirt with a black top combo. He was fine with the top since it was full-sleeved, but the skirt was a whole different story. Looking at the miniskirt, he thought, '_Yup, she's Feliks' best-friend, no doubt_,' and proceeded to show her a 'Are-you-f*ckin-kidding-me!' look.

She gave cheeky smile in return, "You see, the general rule is if one item is going to make you look like a prude, then the other item should make you look daring."

Lovino countered, "You mean 'daring' as in look like a slut."

Elizabeta raised her eyebrow, "Does that mean you're calling me a slut for owning such a skirt?" Lovino replied saying no comment. Narrowing her eyes first at his reply, she later pouted making her eyes as big as possible, "Would you wear it if I told you that I've a pair of black-leggings to go with the outfit?"

He wanted to retort saying he would rather die than wear it, but seeing her looking at him with huge sparkling eyes, he couldn't refuse. Lovino changed into the clothes she provided, feeling whatever male pride he had, dying in the process.

When everyone concerned was ready, they left for the campus-grounds.

Upon reaching there– Lovino, Elizabeta and Roderich saw it was lively for a Saturday evening though it wasn't surprising since there were drama-plays that had been performed prior to their arrival. As they waited outside the Auditorium for Arthur to arrive (they had his ticket which they had forgotten to give to Matthew earlier before he left the cafe), Lovino decided to meet up with Antonio to wish him luck.

It was an easy task to look for him because all he had to do was say his name and the various students gave the directions as to where Antonio was, '_I never knew he was popular enough for everyone to know him_.'

Finally Lovino found Antonio in one of the seminar-rooms, rehearsing his lines. He wasn't sure whether or he should disturb him, but just as he was about to leave, Antonio spotted him, "Mi vida, it's lovely to see you here!"

Lovino scrunched his face up, "Yeah, well, don't make me regret my decision to come here by calling me those names."

Antonio chimed in response as he walked towards him, "Lo siento! It's just that you being here makes me really happy!" then his voice became slightly somber, "It fills the void in my heart which my parents left for not coming to watch me perform. So, thank you..."

When Antonio said that, Lovino was stunned that he had made a huge impact on him by performing that gesture and felt moved. But before he could reply, Antonio was being called for costume change. Hence, the Italian said, "Well, I guess you better get going."

The Spaniard stared at him before inquiring, "Was there a reason why you came looking for me?" Lovino immediately answered, "No, I just wanted to wish you luck. I think the phrase that should be used for stage-performers is 'Break-a-leg', right?"

Antonio smiled and nodded- however he surprised the Italian when he came close and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He then whispered, lips still brushing against the other's skin, "_**The phrase 'Break-a-leg' is used, but I rather take kisses on the cheek as my good luck charm**_."

The blush on the Lovino's cheeks couldn't have formed any faster, his heart pounding hard as he tried to slap Antonio away. "If you do that again, I swear I'll really BREAK YOUR LEG!" but Antonio moved away quickly and laughed, saying the Italian was too cute. Lovino fumed, "Oieeee, listen to what is being said, dammit!"

As Antonio left, Lovino thought, '_That bastard and his selective hearing! Feliciano and him should form a club together_,' and calmed the beating of his heart before exiting the room.

Lovino reached the other two just in time to see almost everyone was inside the Auditorium to watch the next play. The hallways were empty. As they waited outside by the left entrance of the Auditorium, they saw the last member of their group approaching them.

Looking at him, they knew something very wrong had happened. While Arthur –not Aretha– walked towards them, things seemed to be moving in slow motion with flames in the background and giant explosions going off. Roderich remarked, "Right now, he's the classic definition for the term, 'the inferno.' This is going to be interesting."

* * *

Standing infront of them, Lovino saw that instead of the clothes which Elizabeta had provided, Arthur possessed the quintessential rock-god-image: black shirt with the buttons undone at the waist area instead of the chest area (exposing his toned lower-abs); a pair of tight leather-pants (one would think a man with black-leather legs was a tad questionable, but the Italian noted Arthur had the sex appeal to pull it off), several leather bracelets on the right hand while his left hand sported a silver 'pirate skull & crossbones' wrist-cuff . To complete the whole ensemble, he wore a pair of black motorcycle-ankle-boots.

Arthur finally growled, "I am NEVER taking the metro again!"

Although that statement was common among students since the metro system –the fastest means of transport– was annoying in the fact that it was always crowded, the others felt this statement was completely random. It didn't explain anything. But when they saw him taking deep breaths, they knew a long, angry rant was about to begin, so they prepared themselves: certain he was going to talk really fast.

Lovino cautiously asked him, "What happened? And more importantly, what's with the punk-rock outfit?"

With one final breath-in-take, Arthur aggressively started talking, "It wasn't enough that my brothers just dropped in _unannounced_; they wanted me to show them around town! And since they are huge motorcycle-enthusiasts, they didn't want me cramping up their style by wearing what I usually wear: therefore I decided if I was going to dress up differently, I might as well make an effort in looking good. However, I soon realized the reason they wanted me to dress differently was because they wanted get cosy with some birds!"

Arthur gritted his teeth, "They know I'm into shirt-lifters, yet they wanted me to come along! I was suppose to be like their wing-man. And then, they had the gall to get ticked off at me for unintentionally taking all the women away from them!" Making his hands into fists, he continued, "In the end, my brothers broke the window in my living-room, and the gits refused to pay for it! Thankfully, my landlady let it slide."

Hearing that, Roderich's slight miser behaviour came out and interrupted him, "That's unusual: most owners would make their tenants pay up for that sort of damage."

When Arthur saw the trio were actually interested to know why his landlady acted that way, he calmed down and then replied in a sheepish manner, "My landlady is a bit of a cougar... When she saw me dressed like this, she didn't charge for the broken window."

"In other words, you whored yourself," Elizabeta giggled, "Arthur, how very naughty of you to lead her on like that! Considering where your loyalties lie."

Arthur's eye twitched at her blunt description before stating sarcastically, "It _truly_ is great to have the old Lizzy back."

Elizabeta brought her fingers to her lips and blew a kiss to him, "I love you too, darling."

Roderich stepped in, not liking that they were getting off-topic, "So, right now, what you're going through, is it a case where you're angry at one thing, but you're really angry at another thing?" When Arthur replied more-or-less, the Austrian questioned, "Is this the part where you tell us that Matthew didn't deliver the backpack to you?"

"Oh no, Matthew did deliver it to me on time." Rubbing his temples, Arthur explained, "The reason why my landlady came was because the heating-system was to be inspected. By the time she left, it was already close to evening. So, I decided it would be best to come and change here at one of the University-restrooms. Taking the backpack, I rushed towards the metro." Arthur finally declared, "Just as I was preparing to get into one of the metro trains, my backpack got snatched!"

The other three gasped: Elizabeta was now very serious, not a hint of the teasing tone which was present earlier, "Did you get a good look at whoever snatched it?"

"Unfortunately, no. I wasn't the only one entering the compartment. It was so crowded, like a sea of lemmings performing their migratory cycle: as soon as they moved, I moved along with them." Giving a frustrated sigh as he thought about his crappy day, Arthur continued, "When I tried to get out, the bloody doors closed- I never caught a glimpse of who it was."

* * *

Everyone was silent as they processed what Arthur had told them. Lovino was surprised and touched by it at the same time. Even though Arthur basically got mugged, the Brit still keep his word and came to the show. With concern in his voice, Lovino inquired, "Apart from the items from the cafe, was there anything-else in the bag?"

"No. Thankfully, my wallet and ID were on me, otherwise, the robber would've found out about my identity and would wonder why a college-student has those items instead of books." Turning towards Elizabeta, Arthur revealed, "Lizzy, you don't have to worry about your things being stolen. What you gave Matthew is still at my apartment."

Elizabeta was confused by that revelation. "If that's the case, then whose clothes were there?"

Arthur replied, "The previous night, while I was walking home from the cafe, I passed by a clothes-boutique. One of the mannequins was wearing a long-sleeved, pink tunic dress. I thought it was quite smashing, so I had to buy it. It's such a pity that it also got stolen."

When the Brit said that, Lovino kept thinking, '_Arthur, who is right now sporting the bad-boy-image, is more bothered that one of the dresses –which he bought on his own– is stolen_,' and then these words started flashing in his mind: 'pink', 'I had to buy it', 'smashing', 'pink', 'I had to BUY IT', 'tunic DRESS', 'PINK!', 'PINK!', 'PINK!'. Slowly, fits of mirth was bubbling within Lovino. His body began to shake as he tried to control it.

Noticing Lovino's state, Arthur raised his eyebrow, "What's so funny?"

However, Lovino didn't answer that question. He knew if he opened his mouth, only loud laughter would come out. Thankfully, Roderich, who had taken his glass off to clean them, gave his insight, "I think Lovino finds it amusing that you've finally embraced your crossdressing side."

Turning to Lovino with a shocked expression, Arthur screamed, "WHY the sodding hell do you think that?"

With tears forming in his eyes, Lovino finally explained, "You were the one who freaked out the most when we previously went shopping for leggings, yet now you're buying dresses- PINK of all colours!"

Realizing what Lovino was trying to say, Arthur tried to defend his male pride, "H-Hey, when a man chooses to wear pink, it means he has confidence."

The Italian wiped his tears and tried to suppress the growing smile on his face, "Yeah, sure. You're still the MAN."

Arthur glared at Lovino, "I'm finding that hard to believe when it looks like you'll burst a lung trying not to break down in fits of laughter. And why is it that you're the one who is in a skirt, yet I'm the one who being poked fun at?"

"Cause you went and willingly bought a 'smashing pink tunic dress!'," Lovino smirked while imitating Arthur's accent.

Feeling left out, Elizabeta joined in, "Maybe the guy who stole your backpack might appreciate the dress and wear it sometime. Then it'll be easier for you to catch your thief!"

Roderich being the reasonable one in the group would've told Lovino and Elizabeta to stop ganging up on Arthur but seeing his girlfriend laugh after so long, he didn't want to spoil her fun, '_Anyway, he dug himself into that hole when he bought the dress on his own accord_.' He also saw Arthur wasn't taking these jibs to heart, as he replied back.

"Will you guys stop taking-the-mickey-out-of-me. I just went through a traumatic experience: my GAP backpack was stolen!" Arthur folded his arms

Lovino teased while putting his hand on his arm, "Now we're concentrating on the backpack? Not bothered about the pink dress anymore?"

With his face turning crimson, Arthur said, "Oh, belt up," and looked away to see Francis standing many feet away from them, at the right entrance of the Auditorium. He noted the Parisian was wearing not his usual designer wear, just a white polo-shirt and a pair of denim-blue-jeans. Though he was wearing such simple clothes, he still looked elegant. But just as Arthur appreciating Francis' ability to turn even the most simplest item into something fashionable, he saw a hurt expression on his face.

Arthur wondered why Francis had that expression as he was looking at the Brit, when he realized it was because Lovina was standing quite close to him while chatting with Elizabeta. Arthur deduced that maybe Francis was feeling jealous since he was in close contact with a girl.

Even though in the beginning Arthur was trying to make the other jealous using Lovina during the musical event, at that moment, pangs of self-condemnation was flowing through him and he couldn't understand why it felt like he was cheating on Francis, '_Is it because I'm seriously starting to think of pursuing Lovino that I am feeling this way_?' He asked his conflicted heart, '_But it's been more than an year- don't I deserve to move on_?'

After Lovino conversed with Elizabeta, he noticed the look on Arthur's face and wondered whether he overstepped his boundaries by teasing too much. But when he turned to see where the Brit was watching, he saw Francis standing near the other entrance and guessed what was going through Arthur's mind. He knew enough of their history to know the Brit was better off without Francis, so he wrapped his arm around the other's arm. Arthur became startled when he did that and looked at him with an inquisitive expression. Lovino whispered, "_**This will show that pervert that you can get some tail too**_."

Whatever sadness which was within Arthur vanished as he leered-in-jest, "_**Did you just refer to yourself as **'**tail**_?'"

Lovino scowled slightly, "**_I'm trying to be nice here. Don't push it_**."

Finally, when they decided to go inside the Auditorium, Elizabeta was admiring the photo she had just snapped in her camera-phone without them realizing. She whispered to Roderich, "_**Don't they look cute here**_?"

Hearing that, Roderich pondered whether he should tell her that on the previous date, there was a lot more body-contact between those two and all of it was happening right infront of her. But he thought, '_No, she'll become as depressed as before that she failed to notice it_,' so he remained quiet.

Stepping inside, they were surprised by how huge the Auditorium was. It was jam-packed. Though they got the tickets late, they were ushered to surprisingly good seats; not the first row, but somewhere between the first and middle rows. They figured Antonio must have pulled some strings to get them those seats.

While they were taking their places, Lovino noticed Francis, who was few rows ahead, kept looking back. So, as they sat down, Lovino made sure his arm remained snaked around Arthur's to show him that the Brit was over him.

Looking in the front, Francis remarked, "C'est très mal."

Gilbert, sitting next to him, replied, "Mein freund, the play has barely begun! Atleast wait until the show ends to give your complaints."

"Gil, I wasn't talking about the play," When Francis saw his friend giving him a curious look, he motioned behind them.

Turning to see what Francis was referring to, Gilbert became wide-eyed, "Scheisse! Why is Arthur sitting there?" then turning to look at him with smug grin, "I guess this means your 'blond-minx' hates your guts and decided to give her ticket away instead of choosing to see your French Arsch." Ignoring the heated glare which Francis was sending him, Gilbert once again turned to look back, "Kesesese, Tonio will flip if he sees his 'mujer' all over another 'hombre.'"

Francis also had the same sentiments. So far, he had been trying to make sure Antonio and Arthur interacted as-little-as-possible. He now wondered whether he could really prevent the inevitable from happening, '_Arthur, you always did manage to keep me on my toes_,' and watched as the curtains opened, signaling the start of the play.

The group thought they would get bored watching the 'Julius Caesar' play, but the ones performing actually acted well. However, Arthur noticed a few odd things– first, he felt Antonio (who was enacting the role of Marc Antony) was giving him the 'evil eye' whenever he looked in his direction; and second, the atmosphere between Heracles and Adnan (who were enacting the roles of Caesar and Brutus respectively) seemed out-of-place. When Adnan stabbed Heracles in the back, and the Greek mourned the betrayal, "Et tu, Brute...", Arthur had to rub his eyes several times.

Knowing Roderich was probably the most sane amongst them, he turned to his left and whispered, "_**Roderich, do you notice anything weird between those two**_?"

Roderich sighed,"_**If you're asking whether Heracles looks like a jilted lover and Adnan looks like the one who had forsaken him, don't worry, I see it too**_."

Arthur inquired, "_**Do you think it's because of Elizabeta's influence**_?" Roderich thought about it but before he could say anything, Elizabeta on Roderich's left, whispered with a frown, "_**Várj-egy-percet, you're saying it like it's a bad thing**_!"

While the other three were whispering, Lovino was more interested in how the play was going, particularly in Antonio's acting. He felt Antonio's parents were missing out on something great. He remembered his godfather, Roberto, mentioning once about being moved to tears while watching his performance– atfirst, he thought his Uncle was a sissy for saying such a thing, but he soon realized there was some truth to that statement.

Watching the play, Lovino felt he made the right decision in coming here, not knowing what was going through Antonio's mind as he saw Lovina's hand interlaced with Arthur's.

x

**A/N:** Arthur's 3 brothers are Ireland, Wales & Scotland ... Since England was a pirate, Arthur owns a 'pirate-skull & crossbones' wrist-cuff. Who stole from the Gentleman Pirate? Stay tuned ^.^ ... Austria is known as the Stingy Aristocrat, hence Roderich has a slight-miser-characteristics

_Next chapters will be beta-read by_ **Faded-Shadow**, *3* _thanx for being our extra-pair-of-eyes_


	18. Chapter 18

**THE CAFE OF DOUBLE LIVES...**

**Chapter 18**

As soon as the play was over, while the crowd was giving their bravo's, the group wanted to pay their respects to the actors. Of course, this meant they had to go to the section of the building that was provided for the various stage-performers to change into their various costumes, etc. It would've been an easy task if it wasn't for the Dean who hired two buff security guards to bar all unauthorized students from entering.

The group decided to take their chances and see if they could get in. First, Elizabeta used her puppy-dog-expression, but to no avail; Next, it was Lovino's turn to charm them. He was about as charming as a foul fish (he was later admonished for not trying hard enough); Then Arthur tried his luck since Elizabeta stated most muscular men were needy-bottoms (she made that statement based on 'credible sources') , so they might fall for his looks, but he also failed; Finally, Roderich sighed, "I guess it's up to me," and smoothed back his hair, a single wild strand sticking out. Lovino and Arthur could have sworn, at that moment, they saw sparkles surrounding the Austrian before he left to face the guards.

They weren't sure how he did it, but in five minutes, they were allowed inside. Arthur noticed the eyes of the guards didn't hold innocent intentions: he leaned in and whispered to Elizabeta, "_**Are you alright with these men showing a 'I-want-to-ravish-you' face to your boyfriend**_?"

Elizabeta hummed in appreciation, "_**If no touching is involved, then it's all good**_."

Arthur blinked, '_This lass is a strange one_...'

As they walked in, they saw various drama-students were still in their costumes, moving around, joking with friends; basically relaxing. Finally, the four were able to spot their colleagues, Adnan and Heracles.

The Greek was reprimanding Adnan for messing up a few of his lines while the Turk responded by telling him to "shove it", saying nobody noticed. They weren't surprised when they saw the others approaching them since the four had earlier informed them that they would be coming to the show. They exchanged pleasantries with each other, making small-talk. While they were talking, Adnan turned his attention elsewhere, and he excused himself from the group. When they turned to see what caught his attention, they saw a beautiful tanned person in white silk robes with short black hair and green eyes lined in a cat-eye style by kohl-makeup. This elegant person, who was standing a few feet away from them, had a majestic aura surrounding him.

Elizabeta was the first to comment, "Who is that gorgeous person?"

Heracles replied, "Hassan Gupta, a talented senior who recently acted in Shaw's play 'Caesar and Cleopatra', performing the role of 'Cleopatra' as you can probably tell."

When Heracles mentioned his name, the group went, "Ooooh, so that's him." They all heard about Hassan but never attached a face to that name. According to gossip, the Egyptian's legacy was more than his talent and looks: he was best known for his ability to conquer the most straightest of men by just a glance in their direction, even though he was termed as an introvert (being a mystery to all).

As if nodding in approval, Elizabeta stated, "If Feliks ever needs another waitress, I think Hassan will more than qualify."

Heracles, however, didn't agree, "Hassan's family is well-off, so there isn't any need for him to join. Besides, I want the cafe to be my only sanctuary where he cannot invade."

With that statement, the group was taken aback by how subtly hostile it sounded, so they turned to inquire why he thought like that. But they saw him staring solemnly at a particular direction, and turned to look at what was irking him. Before them, Hassan was ruffling Adnan's hair while the latter was shyly rubbing the back of his neck with a blush on his face. The tiny jigsaw-pieces finally fit together to create a bigger picture, and the group understood why the longtime roommates separated: in a love triangle, someone was bound to get hurt. In this case, it was Heracles. He quietly excused himself from the group, clearly not wanting to watch anymore.

Wanting to meet up with some of her friends also in the Drama-Dept, Elizabeta and Roderich headed further inside while Arthur and Lovino decided they would wait for them in the hallway outside the Auditorium.

Before leaving, Lovino looked around to see if Antonio was around to give his congrats, but the Spaniard was nowhere to be found. So, he followed Arthur to the hallway instead.

* * *

While they were waiting in the hallway, Lovino remarked in a not-so-womanly-manner that he needed to take a leak and started to go towards the mens' restroom, but was stopped by Arthur. Before he could ask what was wrong, the Brit smirked, "**_The ladies' restroom is in the opposite direction, L-O-V-I-N-A_**."

Lovino frowned at the teasing tone in Arthur's voice. But two could play at that game, so he also smirked, "**_Leave it to the person who bought a 'smashing pink tunic dress' to know where the ladies' restroom is_**."

In response, Arthur showed a slightly insulted expression, and while Lovino moved towards the dreaded ladies' restroom, Arthur stated, "You aren't being cute, you know," to which Lovino playfully stuck his tongue out as he walked away.

The Brit chuckled, '_I've to admit, that was cute_,' but before he could bask in that feeling of 'marshmallows-and-rainbows', he heard someone shout, "Arthur!" There was only one person Arthur knew who could roll the r's in his name like that. Turning to the direction his name was called, his guess was right.

Francis.

But the Parisian, who now stood infront of him, looked different than his usual calm self –with his cheeks tinted red, small pants escaping his lips, and a tiny beads of sweat on his face– Arthur couldn't help but let his mind go through the gutter. He later shook his head, berating himself, '_GOOD LORD MAN! What are you imagining at a time like this_!'

On the other hand, Francis, when he finally didn't feel out-of-breath, pleaded, "You've to leave parce que–"

"ARTHUR!" An furious scream interrupted him.

Francis face-palmed, realizing he was too late to warn Arthur. The duo turned to see an angry Antonio holding what appeared to be fake-swords in each hand. With one sword, he pointed towards the Brit and declared, "I challenge you to a duel for Lovina's love!" Upon that declaration, a small crowd began to form.

"What is this- the 16th century?" Not impressed, Arthur sighed, '_If this will get that Spanish twat to leave Lovino alone, then I might as well get on with it_.' However as soon as he moved, Francis held a firm grip on his arm. Trying to shake the Parisian off, Arthur glared at him, "Let go. I can look after myself, frog."

"Not this time, rosbif." Francis was now getting irritated: mostly because all the time he spent making sure Arthur and Antonio didn't cross paths was going to go to waste if the Brit didn't leave that instant. However, he had a feeling that wasn't going to happen. Arthur had too much pride to walk away from a challenge. When he saw the other giving him a 'hmph' and lifting his chin up, he knew the confrontation was going to happen.

"Oh yeah, well you just stay back and watch me pound that Spanish arse," Arthur realized the implications of the sentence he made just as Francis let go of his hand with an odd mixture of shock and maybe intrigue (not really sure but since it's Francis, Arthur guessed it might be so) on his face. The Brit cleared his throat as he tried to make himself clear, "Ahem, that came off all wrong- what I meant to say was, sod off," and sheepishly went toward Antonio.

As Arthur left, Gilbert had arrived and was standing next to the Parisian, "Bordel de merde, Gil- I asked you to watch Tonio!"

Gilbert huffed, "I watched him like you instructed," and then explained with a mischievous grin forming, "I watched him as he left the stage, I watched him as he went to the props-room, I watched him as he looked around, I watched him as he found two sturdy swords, and I watched him as he finally approached Arthur." When he saw Francis' unamused face, he groaned, "Franny, don't look at me like that. This is how men fight out their battles."

Inspite of knowing Gilbert was the epitome of being a troublemaker, this was just too much for Francis to bear. He snapped back, "Non, this is how boys get hurt!"

Not-at-all phased out by Francis' angry response, Gilbert flatly asked, "Why do you care what happens to Arthur? He's the one who dumped you. For hurting you the way he did, this is a long time coming for him," looking away from Francis' baffled expression to observe the duel, "Arthur's a cool dude who is almost as awesome as I am, so I was kinda on the fence concerning the breakup between the two of you. But Tonio hated seeing you in that miserable state and always wanted retribution against your ex. Let him fight this out with Arthur, just so that he can finally get it out of his system, hopefully once-and-for-all." Then turning to look at him, Gilbert inquired, "Though now I'm really curious: why do you care what happens to him?"

Because of what Gilbert had revealed to him about how his friends –despite all the teasing– actually cared for each other's well being, Francis was a bit tongue-tied, "It's... to him... I..."

**CLANG CLANG CLANG**

"Uwah, they're really battling it out, aren't they? Whoever's winning, KICK THEIR ARSCH!" Gilbert bellowed with zeal while Francis sighed (but not angry since he was used to Gilbert's inattentiveness) and turned to watch the green-eyed men continue their duel.

* * *

Seeing this extraordinary turn of events, the crowd surrounding Antonio and Arthur in a wide circle, grew bigger- marveling at how well the two men were sword fighting. Since Arthur was clad in a black punk-rock-outfit while Antonio was still wearing his stage costume –a white toga– it looked like a battle between Good vs Evil; the only thing the crowd wasn't sure of was who was the Good and who was the Evil since Light doesn't always mean Good and Dark doesn't always mean Evil.

Both of them moved in swift, graceful movements. Antonio once again came charging towards Arthur, but the Brit successfully blocked his attack and now were at a stand-still, both men pushing down on their swords while involved in a glaring match.

"Stay away from Lovina," Antonio snarled.

"Who the hell are you to order me around, you berk!" Feeling an extra-burst-of-energy coursing through his veins at the arrogance of Antonio's words, Arthur pushed him away, "It's you who should stay away! You don't really know Lovina. BUT I DO!"

Antonio was stunned by that response because he felt he had spent enough time with the Italian to know almost everything about her, '_Maybe there are a few mysteries surrounding her... But she has been opening up to me, so it's not like we're strangers_.' He then looked at Arthur defiantly, "All I know is that I care for her- I won't stand by and watch her get destroyed by you! Ni de coña!"

Arthur became infuriated, "How dare you assume such a thing about me! I know for a fact that she's better off with me than with you!"

"Says the man who mercilessly broke Francis' heart!" With contempt shown in his eyes, Antonio angrily continued, "After you walked all over his feelings, he was a mess!"

Now it was Arthur's turn to be stunned, '_What the hell is he talking about? After we broke up, Francis looked like he was fine, flirting with anything that was alive on two legs_.'

Arthur began to remember the times he saw him flirting even while they were in a relationship. Francis would explain he was making polite conversation but Arthur knew he was actually flirting. So, they would often end up in arguments followed by bouts of passionate make-up sex. However in time, he grew tired of Francis' coquettish behaviour towards others, '_No-one can blame me for assuming that Michelle and him were getting back together considering his past actions_.'

Turning to look towards the Parisian, Arthur felt his heart was going to break. Francis was wearing a devoting yet forlorn expression. '_Why are you looking at me like that? Aren't you the one who has moved on? Lord, I can't understand anything anymore_.' Slowly Arthur questioned everything that he has done and the feelings which he has experienced so far. He soon came to a realization– his world, after all this time, still revolved around Francis, '_I first used Lovina to make him jealous. Later, one of the reasons why I started to pursue Lovino was because I wanted to get over him. Bleeding hell! How could I have forgotten that Francis is the REASON why I started working at the cafe, because I_-'

**CLANG!**

That thought process was interrupted as he felt a shockwave going from the sword through him. Antonio had taken the opportunity to attack him while he was distracted.

Arthur scowled, '_Don't interrupt me when I'm having an epiphany here_!'

Having enough of the whole fiasco, Arthur wanted to put an end to all-of-this. Seeing a part of Antonio's toga was literally swiping the floor, Arthur decided to play dirty by stamping on that piece of cloth whenever he was close to the Spaniard.

Of course, Antonio being utterly clueless to Arthur's intentions –even though he would falter in his steps whenever the Brit did that– kept his eye on the prize as he fought it out with him.

* * *

After answering the call of nature, Lovino had a craving for some tomato juice. He went towards the vending machine at the far corner and got a juice-pack. As he made his way back to where Arthur would be, he saw a crowd hovering there. Wondering what had caught everyone's attention, he too went to observe. He was expecting to see something really cool. He wasn't expecting to see two grown men playing with fake-swords; later, he realized, that they weren't playing but actually fighting (and wearing a malicious intent on their faces).

His jaw literally dropped, '_Che cazzo è questo_!' Scanning to look whether his other colleagues were around, he spotted Roderich and Elizabeta nearby, wearing dumbfounded expressions. Moving towards them, he hissed, "_**What the F*CK is going on**_?"

_"_**_I think Arthur has finally found a way to vent his frustrations which accumulated throughout his rather unlucky day- though, in my opinion, a cup of tea is just as productive in achieving that_**," Roderich seriously replied.

Lovino turned to look at Elizabeta with a confused expression. She explained, "_**Honestly, we don't know how all this happened. By the time we came to the hallway, we found Antonio and Arthur dueling it out like the olden ages**_."

Lovino's eyebrows furrowed in worry, "_**How long has this been going on**_?"

Roderich answered "_**For awhile, but I think it'll end soon. Arthur is using unfair tactics to win, one of the following scenarios can occur- Arthur can definitely win or Antonio can get severely hurt**_." Elizabeta contributed to the list of scenarios, saying he forgot to add the revealing of Antonio's scrumptious body since Arthur kept trying to tear the Toga off. Roderich rebuffed, "_**Why would I mention that**_!"

Lovino, however, wasn't paying attention to the banter which was going on between the two lovers. All that was in his mind was, '_Antonio can get severely hurt._'

As Arthur was charged towards Antonio, Lovino threw the juice-pack away, and rushed towards the sparring men. Because he was wearing the ballerina flats -usually famous for having less friction against the floor- he skidded in the middle until he planted himself between the two. His back was towards Antonio, arms outstretched at his sides. To anyone observing the scene, they would feel the redhead was protecting Antonio from Arthur.

Arthur, after seeing Lovina appearing out of nowhere, immediately halted in his actions. The Italian showed an annoyed expression and whispered, "_**What are you doing**_!" in turn, the other replied back, "_**Hey, don't go pissed off at me- Antonio was the one who started it**_!"

Realizing his body moved faster than his mind could process, Lovino turned behind to look at Antonio who was just as confused, '_Dio... Instead of being worried about Arthur, I was more worried about this bastard?_' But as soon as his confusion washed away, his annoyed-self came back as he tried to ask Antonio if that was true, which he was certain it was since no-one was as dramatic as the Spaniard. However he couldn't ask that question because he heard someone nearby commanding, "WHAT is going on!"

The Brit saw Lovino looking at him with a frightened expression and mouthing the words, "_**It's Uncle Roberto**_!" Arthur realized why he was freaking out. The Italian had told him before that his Uncle had a feeling Lovino was hiding something from him- of course, if he catches the other in drag, he would realize what exactly his godson was hiding.

Arthur knew that Antonio would be fine with a sword in his hand since he belonged to the drama-dept but it would have been difficult to explain to the Dean why the Brit was holding one. They had to retreat as far as possible. Dropping the sword to the floor, Arthur caught Lovino's hand and ran in the opposite direction, faster than Snagglepuss could say 'Exit, stage left!' As they escaped, Arthur once again thought about his conflicting feelings. Little did he know, Lovino was doing the same thing.

While the other two ran away, Gilbert and Francis approached their comrade. They weren't sure what to tell him. But before they could give any comforting words, they saw Antonio smiling which puzzled them considering the circumstances.

Antonio happily exclaimed, "She protected me. Did you see that? Lovina protected me! She cares for me too!"

Gilbert arched his eyebrow, '_She also ran away with another man. Didn't you see that_?' and then continued to smirk, '_Mein gott, this guy only sees what he wants to see_!'

He was about to burst Antonio's bubble when he was harshly pulled away by Francis who warned him, "_**If you dare spoil his mood, I swear I'll chop your precious five metres. Comprenez-vous**_?" Gilbert would've responded his awesome-self wasn't afraid of the Parisian but the glint in the other's eyes made him gulp and nod in response. He kind of feared (though he would never admit it) Francis would actually follow through with his threat if he did try to enlighten Antonio.

Meanwhile, Arthur and Lovino, who were waiting outside, had finally regrouped with Elizabeta and Roderich. They all felt it was best to leave. The amount of excitement and misfortune they had experienced that evening was enough to last for ages.

On the way back, Elizabeta (who now was the one who had the keys to the cafe –courtesy of Feliks who didn't want to wait for their return– so that they could grab the rest of their stuff which they left behind) kept showing them all the candid pictures she had taken. Her reasoning was she later wanted to show the others at the cafe (who weren't able to make it) the evening they had experienced. But judging how most of the photos involved Arthur and Lovino looking cosy together, they knew her reasoning was completely false. So they kept chasing after her to delete the pictures, but she proved to be too formidable a foe and kept the duo at bay with ease.

x

**A/N:** Austria showed 'bishie-sparkles' when France took a picture of them together, so here Roderich shows bishie-sparkles whenever he has to charm someone ^^ ... Hassan having a majestic aura? He hails from the land-of-the-Pharaohs ... Arthur mentioning the 16th century? The Anglo-Spanish war was fought in that century, which means Arthur was confident that he would win against Antonio (cocky, non? ^0^) ... Gilbert owning 5 metres? According to fanon, this info is true XD


	19. Chapter 19

**THE CAFE OF DOUBLE LIVES...**

**Chapter 19**

Lovino knew there were benefits to having a Godfather who was the Dean of the University he attended. He didn't abuse those benefits too much (just once when he demanded to have Ludwig expelled), but since he had to prepare for the art exhibition, he had requested Roberto if he could use one of the University-Art-Rooms to complete his painting. The Art-Room which he requested faced the University's lavish Rose-Gardens; he told Roberto that he would get plenty of inspiration in that room.

Though in reality, Lovino didn't really need any inspiration because he had almost completed his painting. The real reason he needed that room was because dorm-parties were regularly held in his building, making it impossible for him to concentrate. Lovino knew that room would be the quietest because it was situated at the furthest corner of the building.

Considering it was rare for Lovino to request something of him, Roberto gladly gave him the permission to use the room without batting an eye, irking some of the art-professors.

Lovino informed Feliciano that he got the Art-Room facing the garden, saying he also could use it. But his brother stated Ludwig had already converted his huge attic into a beautiful studio for Feliciano to use; therefore, he wouldn't come.

Feeling dejected that Feliciano wasn't going to spend any time with him and cross at the German for hogging all of Feliciano's time, Lovino asked Yao if he would like to use it (Lovino would never admit it, but he particularly didn't like being alone in such a huge room). Yao immediately accepted his offer, saying "the more space, the better."

Upon reaching the room, they decided to place their Artist-Easels a few feet away with their backs facing each other, so as not to disturb one another. As they were working on their paintings, Lovino shared a bit of comradery with the senior. Though he noted it wasn't same as how it was with Feliciano and Arthur, he was thankful that Yao kept him company. His mind would have kept drifting off to a certain Spaniard otherwise. Lovino still couldn't believe he rushed to protect Antonio instead of Arthur. He was glad he didn't have to go to the cafe these days; he was sure Antonio would be there, and he wasn't prepared to meet him until he sorted his feelings out.

As if sensing Lovino was thinking about the cafe, Yao asked with a chuckle, "By the way, did you recently get any pictures from Elizabeta and Matthew, aru?"

Any sentence which contained 'pictures' and 'Elizabeta' wasn't a good thing, but Lovino knew what Yao was referring to. Because the backpack which contained Arthur's wig was stolen, Arthur had requested Matthew to bring some wigs from the salon he worked in. There weren't any long-haired wigs available: so he brought only medium-sized and some short-sized wigs. Matthew was probably in a teasing mood: he made Arthur try all of them. Some looked nice, like the Monroe-Curls, while others looked downright wacky, resembling a football, etc.

Lovino, while painting, also chuckled, "Yeah, I loved the picture with the birdnest's wig-style," and they both laughed, remembering the expression on Arthur's face. He looked just about ready to murder someone!

Wiping his tears away, Yao stated, "Though I've to admit: the wig that was finally chosen looks good on Arthur."

The Italian agreed. The wig which Arthur had selected was the same hair-colour as his previous wig, but instead of reaching his hips, it reached his chin. The inverted bob-styled wig actually made the Brit look younger. It amazed Lovino how a hairstyle could change someone's appearance to such an extent, '_I guess this is why most women spend a lot of money on their hair_.' Of course, the reason why Arthur chose it was because it was one of the few wigs which were decent and had bangs that were thick enough to cover his eyebrows. Lovino guessed this was the wig which Matthew originally wanted to give Arthur, but it seemed like he wanted to have some fun beforehand.

Before Lovino could dwell on the topic any further, Yao declared, "Matthew also sent me a message saying Feliks has been avoiding Orlando." Lovino was all ears after he mentioned that. Orlando was one of the designers who made their cafe-outfits, after all. He waited for him to continue. "When Orlando comes to the cafe, Feliks either hides under his desk or runs out through the back-door, aru."

The Italian inquired, "Who runs the cafe when Feliks is playing Houdini?" When Yao said Elizabeta, Lovino groaned, "Oh great... I guess this means the cafe might become even more perverted by the time we get there."

"Not according to Matthew. It seems she's doing a good job at being a second-in-command," Yao looked like he was in deep thought while he gave his painting a once-over, "I think she's devoting herself to help Feliks without putting her preferences in because she still feels guilty about the whole Antonio-blackmailing-fiasco."

Lovino stopped mid-stroke when he heard that. After a few minutes, he replied, "She can relax. I don't think he'll do it again."

"How can you be so sure he won't, aru? Everything about that guy is bad luck!" Yao was still smarting about the fight which he had with Antonio, and -judging by what he heard happened after the 'Annual Drama Show'- he knew the Spaniard was trouble.

Setting his brush down on his Easel, Lovino stated, "He might be a bastard, but I think you're taking it too far by calling him 'bad luck.'"

Yao turned around to look at him, "Why are you defending him?"

He immediately turned to look at Yao as well, "Why SHOULD I defend him! We're like tomato and oil. We don't mix at all!"

'_Tomato? He means, water and oil, right_?', Yao showed a skeptical face, "If that's the case, then why are you being so defensive? It makes me wonder, aru..."

Lovino rubbed his temples, "Urgh, I don't want to talk about this anymore... It's giving me a headache!"

Yao narrowed his eyes at him before sighing, "Ok, fine. On a lighter note, there are some other stuff happening at the cafe." When Lovino questioned what was going on, the amber-eyed man answered, "It seems Feliks, unable to control his curiosity, recently asked Arthur why he decided to change wigs. Do you know what happened next?"

Lovino shook his head. He had no clue. But judging by how it looked like Yao would fall out of his chair at any moment, he knew it would be something good.

Finally he revealed, "Elizabeta told him that Arthur has finally accepted his 'Inner-Drag-Queen' and wanted to experiment, aru."

"Are you serious! She actually said that?" Lovino laughed as he wrapped his arms around his body, trying to steady himself so that he wouldn't fall down.

Yao also snickered, "Matthew said Arthur showed a look of horror when Elizabeta declared that. I wish I was there to see it~!"

"THERE WAS NOTHING TO SEE!" an irritated voice announced.

Lovino and Yao turned towards the entrance to see Arthur crossing his arms, Matthew holding a polar-bear backpack, and Elizabeta giving them a small wave.

* * *

Arthur, Matthew and Elizabeta missed their co-workers and decided to drop in to say hi. The Brit hadn't expected he would be the topic of discussion amongst the painters. He wore a sour face after hearing their laughter until Yao and Lovino assured him that they weren't laughing at him, just the situation that he went through. This appeased him somewhat. The group then talked about various topics until their eyes fell on Lovino's and Yao's paintings.

"Are those fairies?" Matthew asked the Italian.

Lovino nodded, "Arthur talks about them all time, giving vivid details about these imaginary creatures- I couldn't help but draw them."

Arthur huffed, "Hey, they aren't imaginary. They are very REAL!" When the group replied in an unconvincing manner that they believed him, he gave a sigh-of-indignation, "Hmph, if you believed me, then I'm the Queen of England!"

They blinked: Arthur had just stepped on a landmine. Yao smirked, "Oh, you're definitely 'The Queen', because you went and willingly bought," the others joined in, "~ 'a smashing pink tunic dress!'~ " before bursting into laughter.

Glaring at them, Arthur demanded, "Will you guys just drop it already!"

Seeing Arthur's temper was close to the boiling-point, the group decided to change topics and discussed Yao's painting. In the midst of their discussion, they were alerted to sounds of sobbing and someone shouting, "LOVINO-KUN!"

Looking towards the door, they saw Kiku bringing along a fragile Feliciano towards them. Lovino immediately rushed towards his brother. When he asked what happened, Kiku explained, "Feliciano-kun has been crying like this eversince he came to my dormroom. I couldn't reach Ludwig-san, so I don't know what is going on. Because I couldn't get a word out of Feliciano-kun, I thought it would be best if he meets with you."

Seeing Feliciano like this, shook Lovino to the core- the only time he had ever seen tears in his brother's eyes was when he was going to breakup with Ludwig. "Feliciano, what's wrong?"

Feliciano, shedding more tears, finally gasped out, "Lu-Lu-Ludwig..." and bawled, unable to complete his sentence.

With Ludwig being the cause of Feliciano's weepy state, Lovino assumed what must have happened. '_I knew Potato Bastard would break his heart_!' Leaving Feliciano with Kiku and Elizabeta, Lovino accosted Arthur, growling, "Potato Bastard lives with Gilbert which would mean you would know the address, right?" When Arthur warily asked why he needed it, Lovino whispered venomously, "_**For breaking my fratello's heart, I'm going to go crush his Wurst**_!"

Arthur would've reasoned with Lovino not to jump to conclusions, but the dangerous look that Lovino was showing made him write down Gilbert's address as-fast-as-possible and handed it to the enraged Italian. After Lovino left the room, Yao stated, "I don't think it was a good idea to do that, aru."

"Didn't you see how angry he looked? Lovino would have crushed my Big-Ben if I hadn't given him the address!" Arthur reasoned.

Yao frowned after hearing that, '_What is it with foreigners and naming their equipment! It sounds like they're compensating for something, aru_!' and turned his attention to the sobbing Italian who was being comforted by Kiku and Elizabeta.

"Sweetie, everything is going to be alright," Elizabeta cooed, "Now let's take deep breaths to calm ourselves. Hoo-hoo-hee, hoo-hoo-hee." Feliciano nodded with tears in his eyes and did as he was told.

Matthew stared incredulously at the duo, "Isn't that Lamaze breathing?" When Kiku asked how he knew about that, Matthew answered, "In whatever location they were in, Alfred always made Michelle perform Lamaze-breathing-techniques while she was pregnant. He wanted William to be born naturally."

Arthur was surprised by that info and inquired, "She didn't ask for any drugs while giving birth?" Matthew replied, "Actually, the funny thing was when Michelle went into labour, Alfred was the one who begged the doctor to give her an Epidural because he hated seeing his wife suffer."

The Brit smiled after Matthew said that. Arthur knew Alfred as someone who was very stubborn: when he sticks to something, he never changes his mind. But hearing the blond was willing to change his belief just so that his loved one wouldn't suffer, Arthur became proud that his ex-boyfriend had matured a lot more than while they were dating, '_I guess Michelle has been a positive influence on Alfred_.'

Finally, after several intakes-of-breath, it looked Feliciano was able to form something coherent, so Kiku pressed on what was bothering him about Ludwig. Feliciano started crying again, "Ma-married!"

Everyone now understood why the Italian was a sobbing mess: Ludwig decided to marry someone-else, leaving Feliciano in the dust. They felt sorry for Feliciano's plight with Yao inquiring, "Who is Ludwig's partner, aru?" Feliciano declared loudly, "M-ME!" and started weeping once again.

Just when they thought they understood everything, they became severely confused and questioned whether Ludwig had already married him. Feliciano shook his head and gasped out, "A-asked m-me!"

Matthew then countered, "If Ludwig asked you to marry him, why are you crying?" Feliciano snuffled and replied, "T-tears of j-joy!"

After Feliciano said that, Elizabeta squealed and hugged him. The other four boys weren't as festive as she was. They could just imagine tomorrow's headline: Italian Kills Brother's Boyfriend Over Misunderstanding.

Kiku immediately tried to contact Ludwig to warn him, but his cell-phone was still off. Arthur tried to contact Gilbert, but the other wasn't answering his phone either.

In all honesty, Arthur wouldn't be surprised if Lovino did finish Ludwig off. His brother-complex was massive. In a way, it was sweet that Lovino still deeply cared for Feliciano. When Arthur thought about his prospective lover, he was hoping to see an image of a blushing Italian in his head, but what he saw was a seductive Parisian instead. Shaking the image off, he then turned towards the group, "Since I was the one who gave the address to him, I feel partially responsible if anything happens to Ludwig. I do know I alone won't be able to stop the 'fury' that is Lovino, hence I'll need help to prevent him from committing murder."

Kiku replied saying he had a car and would be able to drive him there. Feliciano -hearing that two most important people in his life might hurt each other- begged to be taken along. Matthew and Elizabeta also agreed to come, but Yao once again apologized for not being able to help; he really needed to finish his painting.

With that settled, they rushed towards Kiku's car. Arthur took the passenger-seat, while Feliciano, Elizabeta and Matthew took the backseats. Seeing everyone got into the car, Kiku put the key in the ignition.

* * *

Inspite of having less time to spare, Kiku was being a careful driver. He gave hand signals every once-in-awhile, observed the various traffic regulations and wasn't going above the speed-limit.

With tension rising within him, Arthur finally proclaimed, "At this rate, Lovino has probably put Ludwig in his grave already!"

Hearing his fiancé would be joining the dead, Feliciano started sobbing and huddled himself in Elizabeta's arms. With a reprimanding tone, she in turn shot the Brit a disapproving look, "Arthur, you're not helping!"

Matthew tried to defuse the pressure which was building up, by placing his hand on Kiku's seat to convince the raven-haired man to speed up, "Kiku, what Arthur meant is: Lovino probably is on foot, running as fast as he can. If you gun it, we could make it in time to stop him from reaching Ludwig's house."

Kiku sighed, "I understand," and then stopped the car. Before the others could ask anything, he stated loudly enough for everyone to hear, "Chotto, minasan. Please fasten your seat-belts before I start speeding. I'll not have it on my conscience that I endangered the life of the passengers while I was driving." Upon his request, the group fastened their seat-belts, deciding not to argue with the owner of the car who sincerely cared for their lives. Taking note everyone had clipped the buckle into the seat-belt clip, Kiku nodded, "Yoshi, ikimashou," and stepped on the gas-pedal.

The thing which really surprised the group was that –despite driving fast– Kiku wasn't a reckless driver. None-of-them felt like they were going to die anytime soon. Even when an elderly man suddenly decided to cross the street, Kiku beautifully swerved the car around him. They unanimously thought, '_Whoever said Asians were bad drivers, need to get shot_!'

Turning back to see if the others were doing okay, Arthur's eyes bulged out, "Lizzy, how did your tummy get so big in a short span-of-time?"

Elizabeta, who was sitting in between Feliciano and Matthew, declared, "Oh, I just stuffed Matthew's polar-bear backpack under my top." When Arthur asked why she did such a thing, she explained, "Well, if we get pulled over by cops, I can pretend I'm in labour to get us off the hook."

Arthur face-palmed, '_Lord, we're certainly a wild bunch, aren't we_?' and faced forward again, hoping they would reach the Beilschmidt's residence in time.

Meanwhile at the Beilschmidt's residence, Gilbert was sitting on the sofa when he heard the doorbell ring. He ignored it, hoping Ludwig would answer the door until the ringing became loud bangings on the door. Groaning that somebody was upsetting his afternoon ritual of lazying-around, Gilbert finally got to his feet and went towards the door. Opening it, he wasn't expecting to see his brother's fiancé standing there, looking like he had just run a marathon. He noted the Feliciano infront of him, seemed strangely tanner and a whole lot meaner.

Gilbert cautiously asked, "You probably want to see Ludi, right?" When the other nodded, he inquired, "I suppose you don't remember where his bedroom is, ja?" He said that because he knew Feliciano always had the habit of forgetting stuff. Seeing the Italian showed no response, Gilbert replied, "Upstairs, fourth door on your left," and saw the other walking in that direction with a dangerous aura surrounding him, '_Hmm, I wonder what Ludi did to upset Feli that much_,' and closed the door.

Just when he was about to laze on the sofa, the doorbell rung again and it was just as urgent. Cursing to himself, Gilbert went towards the door and this time, he was more surprised than before: standing infront of him were Matthew, Arthur, Elizabeta, Kiku and FELICIANO. Pointing to the Italian, Gilbert look absolutely baffled, "...Weren't you here a couple of minutes ago?"

With that statement, the group panicked.

"Maple, Ludwig's in danger!" Matthew exclaimed. Just as he said that, they all heard a bloodcurdling scream coming from the floor above them, "RETTE MICH! HE'S CHOKING ME!"

At that moment, they learnt Lovino wasn't the only one who had a brother-complex. Gilbert cried loudly, "That clone is attacking MY BABY BRUDER!" and literally flew as he ran up the stairs. The group followed him to find the medium-sized Lovino had actually pinned the tall-sized Ludwig to the bedroom wall and was squeezing his neck. Immediately, everyone tried to separate the two with Arthur, Mathew and Elizabeta pulling Lovino away while Gilbert, Kiku and Feliciano checked to see if Ludwig was alright.

Atfirst, Lovino was confused as to why everyone was there. But when they all headed towards the living-room to explain what was really going on, he went towards his brother and lightly bonked him on the head, "Don't say misleading stuff!"

The group would've pointed out that Lovino had assumed on his own, but they didn't want to spoil the brotherly moment between the Vargas twins. Feliciano replied, "Ve~ I'm sorry, fratello. I was extremely happy that I couldn't control my tears!"

Lovino crossed his arms and pouted, "I got that now." After staring at Feliciano for awhile, he finally stated, "If this is what you truly want, then I'll support you 100%." After Lovino said that, Feliciano gave him a hug saying he was his most-favourite-fratello. Lovino bonked his head again, "I'm your only fratello, idiota."

"So, this is the famous fratello that Feli keeps talking about," Lovino turned to look at Gilbert who was eyeing him, "Didn't realize there were two of you... What name do you go by?"

With the question, Lovino was stumped. He knew his real-name sounded similar to his cafe-name. He didn't have the option to give fake names to Gilbert like he did to Feliciano at the music event, considering the fact that they would became a family on paper. However, before he could reply, Feliciano beat him to the punch by saying, "Ve~ his name is Lovino!"

"Lovino?" Gilbert stroked his chin as he stared at Lovino more closely. "That name sounds very familiar..."

Feeling as though his life was flashing before his eyes, Lovino knew it would be a matter-of-time before Gilbert guessed his secret. But he was saved by Kiku who stated in a wise voice, "Of course 'Lovino' would sound very familiar to you, Gilbert-san. It means 'the wine' in Italian. Hanging around with Francis-san, you must've heard about it."

Gilbert snapped his fingers, "Ja, that must be the reason! My awesome mind never forgets about stuff like that!" and marveled at the greatness he was. He then asked, "Oh speaking about wine, do you guys want some booze? We need to toast the happy couple by drowning ourselves in some good old fashion beer~!"

Everyone was happy to take up on Gilbert's offer. Ludwig, on the other hand, glared at his brother, pointing out that Gilbert just wanted an excuse to get drunk. But when he saw Feliciano looking happily at him begging him to have some fun, he sighed and agreed to join in the celebration.

While Lovino gulped down on the beverages offered, he wondered if he would soon come to regret choosing 'Lovina' as his cafe-name.

x

**A/N:** When Lovino referred to Antonio as oil, it's olive-oil since Spain is one of the largest producers of olive-oil ... Kiku being a good driver? Dispelling the stereotype that Asians are bad at driving ... Lovino isn't the only one with a brother-complex, even Gilbert has one towards his baby brother XD


	20. Chapter 20

**THE CAFE OF DOUBLE LIVES...**

**Chapter 20**

Although Lovino knew there were benefits to having a Godfather as the Dean, there was also a downside: Roberto would try to become too involved in the academic-activities of the Vargas twins.

For example, the 'Local Art Show' –

_During their freshmen year, Roberto wanted to set out pamphlets throughout town unveiling his godsons' art-work. Lovino immediately stated this was favouritism, and the other art students would feel animosity towards the twins. Roberto was disappointed he couldn't make their first exhibition memorable._

_Lovino knew Roberto was trying to make up for all the time he wasn't there for them. Feliciano must have guessed the same thing because the next thing he said was that Roberto didn't have to win them over; he was loved. Lovino, with his cheeks turning rouge, just pointed to Feliciano and replied in an unconvincing aloof manner, "What he said." He wasn't used to saying his feelings out loud._

_This had a huge effect on Roberto. His eyes were shining bright as he enveloped them in a tight bear hug declaring, "You're both such cute angels!" Feliciano responded with an absentminded smile while Lovino wore a grumpy look (at the same time, not really bothered by his Uncle's antics)._

_Throughout the following years, Roberto tried to make the 'Local Art Show' a grand event, inviting who-is-who in the Art business. Lovino had asked, at one point, whether this was for the twins; however, Roberto clarified that it was for all the students. Being an Art-Professor, he knew it was good to establish connections with important people early on. If one's work was good enough, then they could easily get sponsors, and their work could become more accessible to society, being showcased in other important art galleries. Hence, there were art critics, elite businessmen, collectors attending the grand opening of the exhibition._

Now at this year's exhibition taking place in the 'Athena's Shrine' gallery, Lovino felt completely at ease. For starters, Feliciano mentioned that Gilbert wouldn't be coming since he wasn't a fan of art-shows. This was a good news. The last thing Lovino wanted was Gilbert seeing the name-card that was attached to his painting and realizing that Lovino sounded eerily similar to Lovina (he tried to convince Roberto not to place them, but his Uncle stated there were many students showcasing their work: the cards were needed to identify what belonged to who). The second reason he was at ease was because he wasn't in drag. He wore a white dress-shirt, black slacks, and a black jacket combo he acquired after he and Feliciano finally relented to Roberto's begging to take them to his favorite tailor.

After Lovino met with –as he eloquently put it– all the 'stuck ups' of society that Roberto wanted to introduce to him, he grabbed a wine-glass from a waiter passing by and went to be with his group (he would have stayed with his brother if Ludwig wasn't there: Lovino became sick of seeing the lovey-dovey aura that was surrounding them). As he was searching for the others, he stopped right infront of an Abstract painting. It was just so eye-catching, having splashes red; green; yellow; and blue paints. To anyone, it would've seemed random; but to an artist, it held so much more meaning.

Observing it more closely, Lovino began to see images of him and the others at the cafe with their mood lively. He snorted because he felt maybe their mood was joyful because none of them were in drag. Looking at the name-card, Lovino was surprised to read the name Kiku Honda and the painting was titled, 'Happiness'. Kiku had chosen an interesting title because that was feeling Lovino got when he looked at it, _'One can never tell what's on Kiku's mind... But I guess paintings like this might give an insight into his soul_.'

Interrupting his thought, someone spoke beside him, "This painting truly gives a feeling of happiness." Lovino was never one to engage in causal conversation. And he would've ignored the other person if it wasn't for the heavily-accented Spanish voice.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Antonio standing there. The Spaniard wore a grey shirt and a black leather jacket tailor-made for him that made his firm biceps more noticeable. He also wore a pair of snuggly fit light-blue, denim jeans that Elizabeta and Feliks would have commented that it accentuated 'his firm tush.'

Chastising himself for also admitting that Antonio had a nice body, Lovino turned his vision back to the painting. He placed the wine-glass near his mouth, trying obstruct a part of his face from Antonio, falling into a state-of-panic: he was entirely focused on Gilbert not coming to the exhibition, he had completely forgotten about the other two! '_Who makes casual conversation without introducing yourself! And how the f*ck was he able to get into the building dressed like that! Wasn't there a dress-code involved_?'

Oblivious to the Italian suffering a nervous-breakdown, Antonio continued, "I see a field where tomatoes are being cultivated on a cool summer afternoon– my beloved and I, with her red hair blowing in the wind, are happily choosing the ripest fruit." When Antonio mentioned red hair, Lovino splurted his drink and started to cough. Antonio had a worried tone as he inquired whether the other was alright. Ignoring his question and forgetting the fact he wanted to cover his face, Lovino asked, "Is that what you honestly see?"

"¡Claro que sí! No other imagery comes to mind." Seeing that Antonio was staring at him, Lovino quickly turned to look at the painting and again placed the wine-glass infront of his face. Antonio noticed this particular behaviour and asked out of curiosity, "You seem to be enjoying that drink. Is it that good?"

After having taken many sips of the strong wine to calm himself down, Lovino replied in a slight tipsy manner, "Yeah, it's to die for," making that statement because he really wanted to die or atleast escape from those prying eyes of the Spaniard without being overly obvious.

Antonio extended his hand, "Really? May I have some?"

Moving slightly away, Lovino scowled, unable to believe that he asked for such a thing, "Go f*cking get your own, you bastard!" He saw Antonio stop in his tracks. After awhile, he stated that his mannerisms sort of remind him of someone. When he heard him saying that, Lovino felt another panic-attack arising and quickly responded, "You know what– let me go get that drink for you! Just stay right here and don't move, alright?"

When Antonio gave his affirmation, Lovino bolted, '_What the f*ck am I going to do! He's going to figure out my secret_!'

* * *

Meanwhile, prior to the meeting of Antonio and Lovino, Yao walked around to search for a familiar figure. Instead of donning a suit, he wore stunning red changshan-robes which smoothly moved across the floor as he took each step. Everyone looked at him as if he belonged to royalty, '_Feliks certainly designed a lovely outfit for me. This is FAR better than the cheongsam which he made earlier_.'

Finally, Yao found who he was looking for. Ivan was in the main hall, wearing a tan turtleneck long-sleeved shirt along with dark-brown slacks. When Ivan saw Yao approaching, he proclaimed, "Yao-Yao, you look exquisite."

Yao wasn't sure if Ivan was praising him, but as long as it didn't have the words 'pretty' or 'dainty', he didn't mind, "You look handsome too. I can't believe that you came, aru."

Ivan smiled, "Konechno, I would come since you sent the invitation to me. How could I refuse a once-in-a-blue-moon opportunity." Yao replied that the Russian hadn't visited the cafe for days and it had worried him which was why he sent it. Ivan's eyes glinted mischievously, "Are you trying to say that you missed me?"

Truth-be-told, Yao did miss Ivan a little which puzzled him, but he wouldn't give Ivan the satisfaction in knowing that- so he frowned, "Don't get ahead of yourself, aru. I was just explaining my actions." Ignoring the teasing smile on Ivan's face, Yao requested, "Come, I want to show you something."

Ivan sized up his request before stating, "If you want me to come with you, you'll have to take my hand." Yao became annoyed and asked if he had reverted back to being a child. He responded, "I feel that whatever you want to show me is important– you wouldn't want me to get lost on the way, da?"

The amber-eyed man pointed out, "You can simply follow me, aru," to which Ivan replied saying that it wouldn't be fun. Yao groaned, "Fine, you spoilt brat!" and took hold of Ivan's palm. As Yao led the way, while trying to ignore the looks that were directed towards them, he finally placed Ivan infront of a painting.

It was a simple oil-painting with rich colours, yet Ivan was dumbfounded when he saw it. Turning to look at Yao, he asked, "You painted this?"

"I had based this painting on one of my previous sketches. I chose the title 'Serenity' because I found no other word could suit it." Yao knew why Ivan was taken back: after all the main subject in his painting was the Russian. Yao continued, "I wonder if you remember. It took place one day when we were in highschool. After the school-day was over, I had gone to the sunflower field nearby. I initially wanted to draw the sunflowers, but when I saw you standing there in the middle of the field with a calm expression on your face, I couldn't help but sketch it. You seemed so at peace with everything, aru."

With his eyes on the painting, Ivan replied, "Da, I remember that day. It was the first time that we spoke. I saw you sitting at the end of the field and approached you. When I asked you what you were drawing, you showed me a picture that contained only sunflowers."

"Well, it would've seemed weird for someone to randomly sketch another person whom they barely knew! This was why I just showed you that picture, aru." As his mind was going through a trip down memory lane, Yao declared, "I'll always remember the wonderful praises that you showered me. I guess you could say your praises gave me the courage to pursue my dream of becoming an artist."

Hearing that declaration, Ivan turned to look at Yao, "I suppose there's a reason why you wanted me to see this."

Yao's eyes filled with hope as he nodded, "With this painting, I want to declare a truce between us. I don't want to fight with you anymore, aru. I'll let the taunting and the kisses that you've given me these past months slide if you promise never to do it again."

Neither of them said anything for awhile until Ivan spoke, his face showing no emotion, "I'm afraid that I can't agree to that."

Yao, sounding more desperate than demanding, "Can't we be friends? Isn't that the reason why you wanted to see me smile when you requested to have our highschool fight on the dried-up lake during that winter?" In response, Ivan took a few steps towards the trembling Chinese man and loomed over him. For the first time, Yao feared for his life– he moved a few steps back but came in contact with the wall beside the painting. He silently cursed his bad luck, '_Aiyaa, he snapped! I never knew the painting would elicit this sort of reaction_!'

With nowhere to run, Yao remained there while Ivan placed his hand on the wall and replied, "I admit I did that to bring a smile to your face. But I'll also admit the reason why I told you about it was because I wanted to break down the defenses you've constructed."

Though Yao knew Ivan never did anything without having ulterior motives, he felt utterly confused, "My defenses? I don't understand, aru."

"Think about it, comrade. If I hadn't mentioned it, you would've never sent me an invitation, much less willingly held my hand earlier. Before you'd always try to run a mile away from me, but, now, we held a fairly decent conversation," Ivan tsked his disappointment. "I thought I had successfully broken them down... I wasn't expecting this. Let me clearly state: I DON'T want to be your friend."

"Why?" Yao asked, trying not to show the hurt he felt.

Ivan cocked his head to the side as if he had asked a silly question, "'Why,' you ask? Well, if we do become friends, then I can't kiss you." Crouching slightly and leaning his face close to Yao's, Ivan further explained, "Whenever I kiss your lips, my heart-rate raises and the pleasure centers in my brain start to get extremely excited. To be honest, I'm addicted to that feeling."

Surprised by his choice of words and how close the other's face was, Yao's heart was literally in his throat. So, he gulped, "Wh-what are y-you trying to say?"

"Duh, he's asking if you would, like, join him in the janitor's closet." Yao and Ivan turned to the side to see that they had an audience; Feliks, Kiku and Elizabeta were armed with cellphone-cameras while Roderich, Arthur and Matthew were trying to mind their own business but failing miserably.

The next thing everyone heard was a string of Chinese curses, a loud resounding slap followed by a "Ай!" from the Russian.

Yao proceeded to run away with Feliks, Kiku and Elizabeta going after him while Roderich instructed Ivan to follow him so as to find and place a cooling-cloth on his slightly reddened face. Arthur and Matthew, however, remained in their places seeing that Lovino was approaching them, looking like he had just met the devil.

* * *

Lovino was glad when he saw Arthur and Matthew. Arthur was dressed in a long-sleeved V-collar blue shirt and grey slacks, while Matthew was in creme-coloured turtleneck sweater and beige slacks. Both came to the exhibition to give their support, though Lovino had a feeling that coming as themselves instead of their cafe-avatars might have been one of the reasons why they didn't refuse the invitation.

"Tweedle-dumb and Tweedle-pervert are here," When Matthew inquired who Lovino was referring to, he stated, "Antonio and Francis! Dumb is in the Abstract-Art-Section while pervert is in the Statue-Section," Lovino panicked even more. "If those two are here, then Gilbert must be lurking around somewhere!"

Matthew shook his head. "Gilbert told me earlier that he feels exhibitions, in his own words, are 'way-to-lame-for-my-taste'. Rest assured, he isn't here." Arthur scoffed saying that Gilbert was too brazen to appreciate the fine arts. Matthew responded, "Some people have flaws but doesn't mean that they are any less awesome."

Arthur frowned, "You've been hanging out with Gilbert way too much."

Lovino hissed, "I'm having a panic-attack here, so can we stop talking about that idiot!" Arthur and Matthew turned to see that he really looked like he was having one. They questioned what was wrong, he answered while moving his hands from left to right, "**_Lovino-Lovina, Lovino-Lovina, Lovino-Lovina_**!"

Unable to decipher Lovino's rambling, Arthur spoke soothingly, "You need to calm down if you want us to understand what's upsetting you."

Lovino tried to relax, but he couldn't, "Because it's hard to remove those damn name-cards, if either of them sees the one on my painting, they will see the name Lovino Vargas. They might find it eerily familiar!"

Realization hit Matthew as he finally whispered, "**_Oh, now I get it! You're afraid that Lovina is similar to your real name_**."

Arthur, though, wasn't convinced, "Don't you think you're over-reacting. Sure, in the movie 'Victor/Victoria', both Victor and Victoria were played by the same person but that doesn't mean people will naturally assume it's the same here."

"Gilbert was almost on to me when he heard my name. Or, atleast, I think he was until Kiku distracted him. I just know if either Antonio or Francis sees that damn name-card, it'll be the end for me!" Lovino looked at them with an imploring expression, "I'm begging you! Get them to leave the building!"

Matthew felt it was an unreasonable request, but he didn't want to voice it, fearing he might sound selfish. Arthur had no such qualms as he said, "The last time, I came in contact with Antonio, I was involved in a sword-fight. I would hate to think what would happen if our paths crossed again."

Feeling desperate, Lovino tried to rack his brain for a solution when an idea suddenly came to him. "**_If you do this, I swear I'll join your troupe for the Flash-mob-dance as Lovina_**." He knew using it now would be too late, but felt that it might soften Arthur up into helping him. He wasn't expecting to see a smile appear on the Brit's face who exclaimed, "Really? That's brilliant!"

Lovino didn't share the same feeling. Arthur had requested this days ago; he was certain that he had missed a lot of practice and it would be impossible for him to join. He was now unable to think of a way to get out of the newly-formed-predicament as Arthur asked Matthew to come along to talk to Francis. Before they could leave, Arthur declared, "We'll need to practice everyday. But not to worry, the steps aren't too hard!"

With that declaration, they walked towards the section where the statutes were kept as Lovino gawked at them, '_Talk about jumping out of the frying-pan and into the fire!_ _Dammit_!'

* * *

As soon as Arthur and Matthew reached the desired location, they saw Francis in a white dress-shirt, white jacket and black slacks combo. Honestly, Arthur didn't want to be near Francis as his mind was still in a whirl eversince the drama-show ended, but he knew he wouldn't be able to perform his task successfully if he didn't speak with him. Approaching Francis, he was glad that he brought Matthew along with him, otherwise he would have lost his composure.

Alerting him to their presence, Arthur saw Francis turning his head towards them with his shiny golden hair falling slightly infront of his face. Arthur has always been envious at how luscious the Parisian's hair was. Slowly he started to recall how he was envious of his gorgeous smile, his intricate mind, his delectable abs– '_Let's not go down that road, shall we_.'

Francis smiled, "Bonsoir, Arthur et ... Matthieu, oui?"

Arthur just mumbled his greeting while Matthew replied with a smile as well, "Oui, I'm surprised that you even remembered me."

Francis dramatically stated, "Mais bien sûr , like Gilbert mentioned- you're too cute to ignore. Seeing how you look, it's no surprise why Gil talks nonstop about you."

Those statements made Matthew blush severely but Arthur scowled at how Francis was lavishing his attention on the other. He then thought, '_Wait, why am I getting anxious that Matthew is being hit on_?'

Seeing Arthur's scowling face, Francis asked with a chuckle, "What's wrong? Getting jealou-"

"You can bloody well flirt with whoever you want. I don't care– it has nothing to do with me!" Arthur rebutted.

He was slightly surprised to see a hurt look on the other's face, but he was more surprised when he heard Francis whisper, "**_Well, since we aren't going out, I don't see the point in flirting any more_**_._.."

It was merely a whisper but, Arthur heard it loud and clear. '_What sort of logic is that! Is he saying the reason why he flirted was because he was in a relationship with me! I wasn't enough that he had to go looking for others!_?' Whatever feelings he thought he had for Francis were trampled in that instant, further convincing him to pursue Lovino instead.

Francis later asked, "To what do I owe the pleasure to talking to two fine gentleman?" Cooling himself down, Arthur replied, "A way to get Antonio to leave this building."

"Quoi?" Francis clearly wasn't expecting something like that to come out of his mouth.

"You heard me. I want to know if there's any way to get Antonio to leave this place as soon as possible," When Francis asked why, Arthur gave half of the truth to him. "I don't want a repeat of what happened at the drama show. I bet if he sees me, he would probably pick up someone's Art-Project and hurl it at me."

Francis analyzed this response and stated, "Then all you need to do is stay away and never mention that redhead's name infront of him," Arthur was intrigued and inquired what he meant when he said not to mention Lovina's name. Francis sighed, "Tonio seems to lose all reason when it concerns her."

Arthur smirked, "Is that so?" Flipping his cellphone out, he concentrated on it for awhile before excusing himself from Matthew and Francis.

Not liking the playful-glint in those emerald eyes, Francis asked Matthew what Arthur was upto.

"I'm not sure," Matthew replied, "but I think it would be wise if we followed him." And they both proceeded to do just that. Arthur entered the Abstract-Art-section and walked beside Antonio, acting like he hadn't noticed him. Francis saw the Spaniard had noticed Arthur, but he didn't do anything. After all, Francis had requested him earlier not to act hastily towards the Brit. He was glad to see that Antonio heeded to one of his wishes.

Matthew and Francis then heard ringing and saw Arthur answering his cellphone loud enough for the three of them to hear, "Hey, Lovina! ... What? You want to tell me something important? … Alright, I'll meet you at the University-Rose-Gardens!" and snapped his phone shut as he walked away.

Francis rubbed his forehead and turned towards the violet-eyed man, "Didn't I just tell him to stay away from Tonio! And also not mention her name if he does! He never listens!" Matthew offered a weak smile. He hadn't expected Arthur to pull such a stunt.

Antonio, in deep-thought, proceeded to take his cellphone out as he walked in the direction Arthur went. Next thing they heard was Francis' cellphone ringing, "Allô, Tonio. ... You want to leave? ... Give me a few minutes, and I'll join you."

Francis knew he didn't have to go, but he also knew that the Spaniard would waste his time away and felt it would be too cruel to leave him on his own. He would have tried to convince Antonio that he was being duped, but he didn't want Arthur falling into trouble, '_At times like these, it's hard to know where your loyalties lie_...' As he walked towards the exit, he saw Arthur appear from the place he hidden in. Francis questioned, "The thing that is going on between you and the redhead... is it serious?"

Arthur knew that he didn't have to answer but, for some reason, he wanted Francis to be on pins and needles. "You're the so-called expert in love. What do you think?"

As Arthur watched the other leave, he was well aware from the beginning that if he got Antonio to leave, the Parisian would soon follow: though they were only cousins on paper, Francis and Antonio had almost been brought up like they were brothers. It wasn't surprising when Antonio showed that angry expression towards Arthur– it was akin to the expression one would show to the scorned ex-lover of their sibling.

When Arthur reached Matthew, he heard him saying, "Arthur, that was mean." He wondered if the other had picked up on his desire to mess with Francis, so he inquired what he meant. Matthew answered, "For you to pick the University-Rose-Gardens as a meeting place. Gilbert told me students usually get lost there because of the maze present. What if that happens to Antonio?"

Arthur shrugged, "It's not my fault that the forefathers of our University were eccentric and decided to put 10 foot hedges to form a elaborated-maze-system." He later gave a devilish grin, "Besides, I never got to finish beating the crap out of that Spanish twat! This is my way of getting revenge for the sword-fight."

Matthew raised his eyebrow, '_I guess I should put Arthur in the list of people I shouldn't cross with_,' while they looked for Lovino to inform him that the coast was clear.

Awhile later, the group began to leave. Feliks was the first because he saw Orlando and didn't want to be spotted by him; Elizabeta and Roderich left for a date they had planned earlier; Kiku offered to give a ride home to the other four while Arthur excitedly explained to Lovino all the steps they would be doing.

Lovino prayed to the Lord, '_Please kill me now and resurrect me after the Flash-mob-show ends_,' but knowing that he had been abandoned before, he knew this wasn't something that he could escape easily from

x

**A/N:** Reason for Francis going after Antonio? Throughout history, Spain & France have fought in wars together- here, Francis sides with Antonio even though it might seem troublesome ... Francis seemed like an unfaithful lover to Arthur? All that can be said now is 'imperfections makes a character seem even more perfect' ^.^


	21. Chapter 21

**THE CAFE OF DOUBLE LIVES...**

**Chapter 21**

If Lovino was informed they would be doing 'Tango' for the Flash-mob-dance, he would've never offered to be in it. He has seen the costumes that female Tango-dancers usually wear, and the steps performed looked extremely hard. Lovino felt if he were to dress in that manner and dance like that, people would notice he isn't an Eve but a Steve.

Arthur calmed his fears by stating Tango wasn't a circus act. They wouldn't perform any acrobatics and there wouldn't be any high-flying kicks. He did say there would be various steps like the ochos, milonetes and vals which Lovino would've to learn, but he assured the Italian that they were easy to get the hang of it. As for the costume, since this was a Flash-mob-dance, Lovino could choose whatever outfit he was comfortable in. The general idea of the event was that it had to look like it wasn't planned, and a group of random people had just come together to perform. Hence, if they were to wear a particular set of clothes, then it would cancel out the effect.

After listening to the Brit, Lovino put forward a request– before meeting Arthur's dance-troupe as Lovina, he would like to learn some of the steps. This was so as to not to embarrass himself when he was in a group who already must be well-coordinated with the steps. The reasons for this request was because: first, he didn't want to stick out like a sore thumb and second, since he would be dressed as Lovina, he knew he wouldn't exactly be in the 'right-frame-of-mind'. If he learnt some of the steps beforehand, he would be less anxious when he joins the group of dancers.

Arthur was happy to comply with the request. After all, it meant the two would spend a lot of time together. A perfect opportunity; eversince his decision to pursue Lovino, Arthur didn't know how to approach him. Arthur felt his 'gay-dar' was pretty good but with Lovino, he couldn't figure out which team he cheered for. Honesty, if Arthur had to guess, he'd say Lovino was asexual.

But that didn't mean he was frigid. Arthur had noticed the Lovino was a huge flirt with girls and was able to charm boys into completing his various art-assignments. Though he was kind to the women and less social with the men, Arthur was almost sure Lovino isn't averse to being with a guy, judging by how comfortable the Italian was with the body-contact they had whenever they practiced the tango steps.

Once Arthur had asked whether he would never be in a relationship. Lovino replied, "If the right person came along, I'd take the plunge: hopefully I wouldn't be too bored by then." Baffled by that reply, Arthur questioned who he thought would be the right person. Lovino answered, "Who knows. It's not like one can choose who they fall in love with." After that, Arthur realized Lovino was a set of variations, instead of being a constant; therefore, he decided to proceed with caution when wooing him.

As they walked towards the cafe from the University, Arthur would always take Lovino through alleys and barely crowded streets. The Flash-mob-dance would be performed in the Town's Square which was close to the major malls of the city; (the reason for selecting that place was because teenagers would be present. If they were to see how cool all the dancers looked performing the tango, they might be interested in enrolling to their University) he wanted Lovino to be comfortable dancing outdoors. Regularly, whenever there wasn't anyone around, Arthur would give the signal and they would start dancing.

This time, however, when they were on route to the cafe, they weren't so lucky. When Arthur dipped Lovino, from his vision –upside down– the Italian saw an elderly couple a few feet ahead of them. They both immediately straightened themselves and casually walked, acting like nothing had happened. As they passed by, Lovino heard the elderly woman giggle and say, "Ah, to be young again," to which the elderly gentleman agreed wholeheartedly.

Arthur merely shrugged the incident off as they walked on, "We'll be dancing infront of a huge crowd in the Town's square. You might as well get used to it if people sometimes catch us."

Lovino retorted with a bitter tone, "But at the Flash-mob-dance, I'll be dressed as _Lovina_. I don't want people now seeing me —a guy— playing the role of the female here." Arthur smirked and playfully replied, "You know, if you were confident about your sexuality, you wouldn't have to worry about what others think."

"What are you trying to imply?" Lovino glared at him, and then, to prove that he hadn't lost any of his manhood, he punched Arthur's arm and walked ahead.

Arthur winced slightly before chasing after the Italian to tease him more. He didn't have to worry about Lovino backing out from joining the troupe because he knew when Lovino promised to do something, he will see to it until the end. Later though, Arthur decided not to tease him, feeling he should be wooing the Italian, not irritating him. Hence, he asked for forgiveness instead.

* * *

Even though it was near closing-time at the cafe, Kiku approached it, on a mission. Recently, he began a relationship with XiaoMei, a young Taiwanese who belonged to the Film-department. Because the 'Film Festival' was coming up, XiaoMei was in charge of selling the tickets. Wanting to be useful to his girlfriend, Kiku offered to help sell some of the tickets. He knew the gang at the cafe would buy some, which was why he decided to approach the place after he was done meeting with his editor.

Things had gone rather smoothly for Kiku these days: his BoysLove manga was doing well, and his new-found relationship seemed to be working out. One would've thought with how busy his schedule was, Kiku wouldn't have any time to pursue any relationship. And he didn't. It was XiaoMei who did the pursuing, and finally, they started dating.

The only minor hiccup in Kiku's life was YongSoo. The Korean had also been been pursuing him. Kiku tried to let him down easy, but YongSoo either didn't remember or he didn't want to remember he was shot down. These days, he had been increasing his efforts in interacting with Kiku. He mentioned he had an interesting video to show him and he was certain Kiku would enjoy it. The raven-haired man was a bit curious and asked what it was, but YongSoo would always tell him that it would be better for him to see it rather than having to explain it to him.

After rejecting YongSoo's offer to watch it in his room many times, Kiku finally made an appointment to watch said-video in one of the following weeks. But he requested they watch it in XiaoMei's house. Kiku made this request because both XiaoMei and Viet would be there. There would be safety-in-numbers. What surprised Kiku was that not only did YongSoo agreed to it, he said XiaoMei would appreciate it too. '_I wonder what sort of video YongSoo-san has..._'

As he pondered over this, Kiku had reached the cafe and opened the door. What he saw was almost a repetition of what happened when Antonio initially blackmailed the cafe. This time, all the waitresses were wearing a Catholic schoolgirl uniform –short green and black checkered pleated skirt, matching tie, white long-sleeved tshirt, white knee high socks and low pump heels– Lovino was with the Bad Touch Trio while Arthur, Matthew, Elizabeta and Feliks were standing closer towards the kitchen. Kiku decided to join the other four and inquired what was going on.

Elizabeta, who was being held back by Matthew and Feliks, replied, "We don't know. Those two have been conversing for awhile, but I just know Antonio is blackmailing again! Looks like I'll have to knee him this time as well."

Matthew whispered to Arthur, "_**A little help would be appreciated**_."

Arthur crossed his arms, "_**Psh, you should just sic her on him. Lord knows he deserves it**_."

Observing their interaction, Kiku thought, '_This is bad_.' He wasn't the only one who thought that. Adnan, who was also watching the scene from the kitchen, wanted to intervene and convince Antonio to leave Lovino alone. But before he could step outside, he felt someone tugging his arm. Next thing he knew, his back was pressed against the kitchen-wall and Heracles was standing infront of him, holding his hand to his chest.

"Ilithios! What do you think you are doing?"

Adnan was annoyed, his back hurting from being pushed so hard against the wall, "I should be the one asking you that question!"

Heracles replied, "I'm stopping you from getting involved again. Don't you remember what happened the last time when you offered advice?"

"You're honestly suggesting to do nothing while all this is going on?" Adnan felt slightly unsettled at the proximity of the other's body.

"It's better than making the situation worse than it is." Heracles responded, staring at him.

After a few minutes in that position, Adnan stated, "Erm, you're too close for comfort..."

Heracles immediately released him and said in a slight sarcastic manner, "Sorry, we wouldn't want you cheating on Hassan now, would we?"

Adnan wanted to retort back but he heard a shuffling of pages. Roderich was sitting near the table, engrossed in reading a magazine and mumbled something like, "This piano looks nice"

The Turk became pale, '_How long has he been there?_!' and then feeling embarrassed that this scene might have been witnessed, Adnan went and performed his cleaning duties.

* * *

Meanwhile, back inside the main cafe-hall, Gilbert and Francis remain seated while Antonio was standing near Lovina. The Italian was tired. Eversince he had been practicing daily all the tango steps, muscles he didn't know he had were aching. It was difficult for him to concentrate on what Antonio saying.

Antonio, mistaking her tired look for indifference, apologized, "I am sorry, mi corazón . I really wanted to meet you and see your painting. I swear I wouldn't have left the exhibition so early if Arthur hadn't tricked me into going to the University-Rose-Gardens."

The Italian now understood why Antonio was at the exhibition. Even though Lovino kept his gender a secret, he didn't lie to Antonio about the other aspects of his life. It would've been wise not to share such details, but whenever the Spaniard asked anything, Lovino would answer the questions as truthfully as possible. Antonio must have remembered that the Italian mentioned she belonged to the art-field. Lovino also now understood why Arthur had sent him a message at the exhibition asking him to call, mentioning something about the University-Rose-Gardens. He would've inquired it then but when he heard Antonio had left the building, he was so relieved that he had forgotten it.

The Spaniard continued, "I wasn't able to find you, but I think I met your brother." Lovino blinked, unsure of who he was referring to. He didn't want to say Feliciano's name, fearing it would grab a bored Gilbert's attention. Antonio later stated, "He offered to bring a glass of wine for me, but I left soon after. I hope I didn't make him angry for my rudeness."

Lovino gulped and chose his words carefully, "Fratello... didn't mention anything to me about meeting you... So, you don't have to worry about that." Technically, that wasn't a lie because the "fratello" who Lovino was referring to was Feliciano. Lovino really didn't want to lie to the Spaniard, therefore he kept things brief, "And about seeing my painting, I didn't have to submit it, so you would've wasted your time looking for it." This again wasn't really a lie. After all, it was Lovino, not Lovina, who was showcasing their work.

Seeing Antonio accepted his explanations, Lovina then inquired, "Is there something-else that you want to talk to me about?"

Antonio slightly fidgeted, "I was hoping we could go out on another date..."

Hearing that, Lovino wasn't too surprised. Whenever Antonio asked 'her' out for a date, he always brought his minions along. Maybe he needed them for emotional-support since the looks he got from the other waitresses —especially Aretha— when he interacted with Lovina didn't boost his confidence.

Lovino could guess why Arthur was in a foul mood whenever Antonio was nearby: he never had any kind words about the Spaniard, and this was increasing day-by-day. Though this was to be expected, especially after what he has gone through with Antonio. Lovino could see Arthur, who was standing with the others near the kitchen, kept showing cross signs with arms which was basically telling him to say to Antonio, 'No Way, José!'

The Italian didn't want to do anything that would upset Arthur, but the thing was he really needed some answers concerning his feelings. He was still bothered about how he rushed to protect Antonio. He used the exhibition to take his mind off of thinking about it, and then, concentrating on the Flash-mob-dance, he was once again able to distract himself. But now, looking at the Spaniard, he didn't like how he still wasn't able to calm down whenever he was around. He felt strangely restless and nervous. He wasn't quite sure how to proceed, so he remained quiet watching the other's face.

Antonio didn't like the silence at all. He was hoping the Italian would agree to come. He wanted to hear, 'Alright, I'll go,' but all he heard was— "EEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAA!"

Everyone froze at that moment. The loud scream sounded like a vicious animal going in for the KILL. Nobody inside emitted that scream. Everyone was as stiff as a board with their mouths closed.

After several minutes, Kiku finally declared, "That's Yao-nii's battle cry." He had heard it many times during highschool whenever Yao's delinquent gang (which Kiku was a member of) was fighting against a rival gang.

The group looked at him with stunned expressions especially after hearing the words 'battle cry' and wanted to ask about it, but Kiku spoke first, "Where is Yao-nii, by the way?" When they explained Yao was with Ivan in the alley behind the cafe, he stated, "I see, it's a good thing that Ivan-san is big boned. His ribs won't get crushed that easily."

The 'waitresses' wondered what exactly Kiku meant- they were amazed that the scream was loud enough for them to hear in the first place but they were too scared to check the scene out after Kiku whispered, "_**I advise you to not go near him until he cools down; otherwise you'll be subjected to his wrath**_."

x

**A/N**: Instead of being lazy in performing tasks, Lovino (despite being a candidate for the best lover) is lazy in pursuing relationships ... A teaser for Yao's emotional state? 4 words– Hell Hath No Fury ^^


	22. Chapter 22

**THE CAFE OF DOUBLE LIVES...**

**Chapter 22**

Ivan had arrived before the Bad-Touch-Trio were at the cafe. After what had happened at the exhibition, Yao wasn't willing to have a proper conversation with him. So Ivan decided to corner him at his workplace. Yao, of course, didn't want to pick up where they left off. When he saw Ivan, he went straight to the kitchen.

Roderich, who at that moment was seated near the table, was surprised to see Yao rummaging through the kitchen shelf-drawers. He knew his kitchen would soon become a battlefield when he saw Ivan entering it. He ordered the duo to take whatever discussion they needed to have, outside. That was how Yao and Ivan ended up in the alley behind the cafe.

Showing the wok in a threatening manner, Yao warned, "If you don't leave this instant, I swear I'll harm you, aru."

Ivan was dismayed, though appreciating how cute Yao looked in the catholic-schoolgirl-uniform, "You're cruel. Is this how you treat someone after they have confessed to you?"

Yao scoffed, "That was no confession, aru! As I far as I can tell, you made me sound like I'm some blow-up-doll since you mentioned something about 'pleasure-centers' getting excited!"

Ivan sighed and wanted to point out that this was Yao's own misconception of his previous statement. Instead he replied, after careful consideration, "I didn't mean to sound perverted. What I meant to say was that eversince I've known you, I've been ensnared by you. Your existence means everything to me..."

For a moment, it seemed like Yao accepted that confession, but he later stated in a monotone voice, "Coming from the person who –not only is my highschool nemesis– but is now threatening me by using a photo as blackmail-material. I find it hard to believe you, aru."

Ivan was dumbfounded, "Photo? Which photo do you speak of?"

Now Yao replied in an exasperated tone, "The one which you snapped with your cellphone-camera when we first met after highschool in this alley: I was in a cheerleader's outfit!"

Yao watched as Ivan assumed a thinking pose, waiting for his response. Finally it looked like a 'light-bulb-of-realization' lit above Ivan's head as he said, "Oh! That one. To tell you the truth, when I arrived home to check if the image was received, turns out nothing was there. You had successfully broken my cellphone before the message could be sent," Ivan gave a shrug. "I would've taken another picture; however, with work piling up, I completely forgot about it."

Taken back by what was just said, Yao inquired, "So... what exactly were you threatening me with whenever you said 'There will be consequences,' aru?"

With excitement written on his face, Ivan revealed, "It's like how the Pavlov's dogs reacted to the ringing of the bell before food was served. I've come to the realization that people always do my bidding whenever I utter those words, even though there was nothing to threaten them with. It's amazing, da~"

Ivan went on and on but Yao wasn't paying any attention anymore as soon as he realized his notion of being Ivan's b*tch wasn't far off because he really was treated at a same level as that of a dog. A person can take only so much abuse before they crack. After being played around by Ivan this whole time, the restraint in Yao broke like a glass falling onto the floor. Without any warning, Yao sent Ivan halfway across the alley with a swift kick to the stomach.

Clutching his torso, Ivan groaned in pain, "Oй! W-why the s-sudden violence!" and looked up to see Yao approaching him with an aura which was almost same as what he had whenever he was involved in delinquent fights. However, Ivan couldn't really call it the 'Aura of the Dragon' because now instead of being fiery, the aura was extremely icy like Natalia would give off when she wanted to harm someone. He tried to reassure himself that he was imagining all of that because Yao was wearing a white-haired wig which looked similar to his sister's hair. But when he heard Yao speak in a menacing tone, he knew he was doomed (adorable as he may looked in the catholic-schoolgirl-uniform, Yao was terrifying).

"Sudden Violence? What do you expect after playing me the fool for so long, aru." Then Yao's expression changed to that of a child-like innocence as he sweetly asked, "Would you like to try dying, just this once?"**

After hearing that, Ivan wanted to say he didn't mean for his earlier sentences to come out the way it sounded but before he could say anything or give any form of apology, Yao ran forward ready to strike Ivan with everything he had, screaming, "EEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAA!"

* * *

Lovino wasn't sure what was going on with Yao and Ivan but that scream gave him the jolt to snap out-of-it. He finally registered that Kiku had slipped out Yao's name and wondered whether there would be any repercussions, '_Well, he actually said 'Yao-nii' which sounds like a girl's name_...' While Lovino was thinking about that, an idea came to him, "If I told you that I liked girls, would you still insist going on dates?"

That question unfortunately perked up both Francis' and Gilbert's interests. They watched Antonio as he responded, "True love negates the need to be undressed. I would rather have an emotional relationship than a physical one."

Francis was amused, '_Tonio... Coming from someone who hails from the 'Country of Passion,' your statements sound like load of foutaise_!'

Lovino also had the same sentiments as he raised his eyebrow, '"_True love negates the need to be undressed?" Are you f*cking kidding me_!' and later decided to tease Antonio to see if he would falter in his reply. He moved closer to him, and made his voice sound incredibly alluring, "Oh, so if I were to tell you that I needed you right here, right now... would you refuse me?"

This new development fully caught Gilbert's attention who smirked, '_She's such a cock-tease! If these two were to really go out, she would've him wrapped around her finger_,' then leaning his back on the chair, he mused. '_Though there's something about her that is bugging me..._'

Waiting for his answer, everyone figured Antonio was slow on the uptake because he flatly responded, "I'll go along as you please."

It felt like someone thunked Lovino on the head with a huge boulder when he heard that, '_What sort of a half-baked reply is that! Does this bastard even realize I was flirting with him now!_?' Evaluating his options, he inquired, "If I don't go on this date, will you blackmail me using this cafe?"

"I prefer the situation doesn't go in that direction," Antonio replied, slightly crestfallen.

"Alright. Me and the others will go." Lovino answered just to see Antonio giving him a puzzled look. The Italian explained, "Didn't you imply you'd blackmail me if I didn't go? I'm telling you that I won't be the only one going; the rest of the waitresses will also be there." Lovino felt this option wouldn't make Arthur angry with him because it didn't look like he willingly agreed to it. Though he felt impudent for assuming the others would come along, he just shrugged the thought away.

Antonio tried to make sense of what was happening, "Por favor, espere. I– " his sentence, however, was overshadowed by shouting from two different voices: "Stay away, aru!" and "I'm sorry, мой podsolnechnika. I'll never use underhanded tricks again!" filled the air.

The group saw Yan-Yan emerging from the kitchen with a wok, positively fuming, while Ivan looked like he went through a major beat-down; his hair messed up and dust on his clothes.

Gilbert nudged at Francis, "_**What's her name again**_?" When Francis stated it was Yan-Yan, he was confused. "_**Didn't Kiku say it was 'Yaoni' or something who was duking it out with this scary dude?**_" After the Parisian responded it must be a nickname which Kiku affectionately uses, Gilbert remained silent.

Standing in the middle of the cafe-hall and taking a look to observe his surroundings, Yao became beyond upset (yet having the presence-of-mind to sound womanly). "What's going on, aru? Don't tell me that Antonio is blackmailing us again!"

Kiku, having seen that look on Yao's face many times when they were in highschool, whispered to the other four, "_**Minasan, I suggest we move back or we'll be caught in the crossfire**_." They weren't sure what Kiku was trying to say but they followed his advice nonetheless.

Seeing the Italian went towards the other waitresses, presumably for sensing the impending danger, Gilbert and Francis also felt they would be facing whatever Yan-Yan/'Yaoni' would dish out if they didn't escape to safer regions. They got up from their seats and tried to move away.

But it was too late. Yao, unable to control his emotions, screamed, "WHAT is with you people and using blackmail!" He first pointed to Ivan, "You tricked me by using blackmail!" next he pointed to Antonio, "You blackmail to get dates!" then pointed to Gilbert, "You wanted to blackmail Matilda's brother for Heaven-knows-what-reason!" and finally he threw a heated glare at Francis, "Are YOU going to join the Blackmailing wagon too?"

Arthur, clearly enjoying the show (it's not everyday that one gets to see Yao going bat-crazy) and wanting to punish Francis for admitting he flirted while they were dating, revealed, "You know he already did– on the previous date, Francis stated he might use blackmail against me."

'_Send me to the Guillotines, why don't you_...' Francis thought when he saw his blond-minx smirking at him. He then turned to look at Yao with his hands up in surrender, "Une blague! I meant it as a joke!"

"Blackmailing shouldn't be taken lightly!" Yao snarled getting ready to hit Francis with his wok.

* * *

Francis was expecting to be beaten black-and-blue. But luckily for him, Ivan stepped in, "Proshu proshcheniya, is Antonio trying to court the lovely Italian again?" When he saw the Spaniard giving a confirmation, he giddily replied, "That's wonderful~! Allow me to plan the next date."

Focusing his attention away from Francis (who gave a sigh-of-relief), Yao turned to give an incredulous look at Ivan, "Why is it that Antonio is the one blackmailing us, yet you're the one who is arranging the dates?" Then immediately he put up a hand to silence him as he answered his own question. "Let me guess: it's so that you'll be able to control everything beforehand, making sure your well-planned deception will bear fruit- am I correct, aru?"

Ivan felt Yao wasn't off the mark but it wasn't as deceitful as how the other thought it was. Before he could say anything, he heard Lovina saying, "Aspetta, the last date which you arranged was uncomfortable as hell since the temperature was too cold! I don't want to experience that again!"

The Russian frowned, his aura darkening, "Are you saying I'm a horrible planner?"

Gilbert gave his tuppence-worth, "We're saying that on the last date, you looked more at home while we were freezing our balls off."

That statement was true for everyone since Elizabeta left early. Matthew's eyes widened, '_Maple! Does this mean Gil not only suspects me, but others as well? I hope not..._'

Ivan smiled, "You don't have to worry about the temperature this time, because I was thinking of taking us to the zoo."

The group's fears calmed down when they heard that, but Yao once again looked like he was going to lose it, "How _dare_ you mention about going to the zoo, aru!" Ivan was baffled after seeing his reaction. Yao became further irritated when he saw the lost look on Ivan's face, "Have you forgotten what you did to me when we went on that highschool field-trip to our previous town's zoo!"

First making an 'oh' face, Ivan immediately defended his actions, "I just wanted to show you the bear cubs on that day."

With a vein throbbing on his forehead, Yao gritted his teeth, "That's why you pushed me over the railing into the grizzly-bear-den_?_!" Ivan stated he thought the other would've appreciated the cuteness of the cubs. Yao growled, "But you still pushed me into the grizzly-bear-den! I had to climb up a tree just to escape from the mother bear, aru!"

Listening to their conversation and after all that they have witnessed so far, the 'waitresses' now clearly understood why Yao was wary of Ivan. The poor guy had gone through a lot dealing with the Russian. It wasn't a surprise as to why Yao was close to losing his sanity. They were surprised, however, he was able to hold on for that long. They figured it must be because of all the meditation which he had practiced until now.

"You still won't agree to come on this date?" Ivan asked.

"I didn't expect you'd be stupid enough to ask such a question," Yao responded.

Ivan became desperate. Knowing he was going back on his word, he proceeded to take his cellphone out.

Realizing what Ivan was resorting to, Yao lunged forward with grace to grab that phone. Before Ivan could ask what he was doing, Yao spoke in a belittling manner, "You were planning to snap another photo to force me to follow your demands, weren't you, aru?" Seeing Ivan was neither denying nor confirming that accusation, Yao smashed it to pieces, "You always tried to get the upper-hand over me eversince highschool. But things aren't going to go your way this time, _young master_."

Unable to sense the tense atmosphere that was forming between the Russian and the Chinese waitress, Antonio asked out of curiosity, "You guys knew each other from highschool?"

Ivan turned to look towards the Bad-Touch-Trio. Normally, he didn't like when someone takes his attention away from Yao, but the sudden question made him realize that he still had one-card-up his sleeve. He whispered loud enough for Yao to hear, "_**If you agree to come on this date, I won't reveal to them who you really are**_."

Yao hissed, "_**You said that you'd never use underhanded tricks**_!" to which Ivan stated there were always exceptions to the rule. With his eyes glowing like fire-embers, he retorted, "_**My answer is still No. You won't follow through with your threat, aru**_."

Leaning in so that his face was next to Yao's ear, Ivan murmured, "_**Watch me**__,_" and walked towards the trio.

x

**A/N**: Yao asking whether Ivan would like to experience death is the curse used by Enma Ai of HellGirl ("Ippen... shidemiru?"**)- couldn't resist putting it here XD


	23. Chapter 23

**THE CAFE OF DOUBLE LIVES...**

**Chapter 23  
**

Even though he saw Ivan walk towards the Bad-Touch-Trio, Yao didn't make an effort to call him back. He knew this was a battle of dominance between them– he refused to bow down and beg Ivan not to follow through with his threat. Instead, he folded his arms (still clutching the wok in one hand) and proceeded to walk towards where the rest of his coworkers were.

Upon reaching them, Feliks whispered, "_**What did that ogre demand**_?" Yao replied Ivan said if he didn't go on this date, he will blab the cafe's secret to the trio. The Polish senior gawked, "**_Say what_?**!" In response, the other waitresses also showed panicked looks.

"_**Not your secret identities- I'm sure just mine, aru**_." Seeing they still had worried looks, Yao said, "_**Calm down. I don't think he'll reveal it**_."

Matthew, surprised by how confident Yao was at that moment, asked, "_**And you are basing this on**_?"

"_**My gut feeling**_," Yao replied as a matter-of-fact.

Arthur, certain that Yao had lost his rational thinking after his little blow-up, snorted, "_**Somehow I find the information about the existence of aliens more reliable than your 'gut feeling'**_."

Tsking, Yao retorted, "_**Have faith, aru**_."

This time, Lovino stepped in, "_**On whom? **_**_The psycho who pushed you into the grizzly-bear-den_!**?" Forget the fact that he still hadn't sorted out his feelings yet, Lovino felt these turn-of-events was too cruel. If the trio learnt about Yao's identity, then Antonio might assume the same about the other waitresses and realize he had been chasing after an Italian crossdresser: this almost made Lovino turn on the waterworks.

Yao grimaced, "_**Don't remind me about that**_." Then observing Ivan and the trio, he declared, "_**I know he's just bluffing. I mean, if Ivan really wanted to reveal my secret, he would've done it a long time ago, aru**_."

Hearing that declaration, Matthew smiled, '_It took you long enough to realize that_.'

Ivan, on the other hand, felt like he was in a bind. He did threaten to reveal Yao's secret, but, truth-be-told, he didn't want to. He feared Yao would probably leave the cafe if he did, '_Why would I want that to happen when I can get to see him in various cute costumes!_' In highschool, he would have never dreamt such a scenario where he gets to see Yao parading in various cosplay-outfits. Every time, he came to the cafe, he always went with the saying 'it's good to be alive.' (though Ivan wished he didn't wear the wig– it got creepy whenever Yao imitated Natalia). Now, being near the trio, Ivan realized telling Yao's secret would be like killing the golden-goose.

Francis wasn't thrilled that Ivan was standing close. The fact that it looked like the Russian was sizing up them up to see whether he could finish them off didn't sit well with him. His gaze flickered over to the one who made Ivan approach them: Antonio had the cutesy-airheaded-aura as he waited for Ivan to give his answer. Francis then noticed Gilbert wasn't focused on Ivan but was looking at where the other waitresses were, with an inquisitive expression, '_I wonder what caught his attention_.' But he stopped pondering over it as he heard Ivan clearing his throat.

Hoping Yao would give in soon, Ivan spoke slowly, "That cute podsolnechnika and I have known each other eversince highschool. One could say we know each other's... secrets," emphasizing the last word to show Yao that he meant business; however, before he could say anymore, he was interrupted by Gilbert who asked, "Does that mean you also get to use the nickname Yaoni?"

That question stumped Ivan. He had heard several of Yao's subordinates in his old gang refer to him as 'Yao-nii'. He began to wonder whether or not the trio already knew Yao's secret. So he inquired cautiously, "What do you mean by that, comrade?"

Pointing at Kiku, Gilbert stated, "I remember Kiku earlier calling her 'Yaoni,' but Franny said it might be a term which Kiku affectionately uses. I just curious if it's the same for you."

Francis frowned at the horrible nickname which Gilbert was still insistent in using for him and then thought, '_Why is he so hung up on Kiku calling Yan-Yan a different name_?'

* * *

Yao was shocked when those words came out of Gilbert's mouth. Turning to give Kiku the 'evil eye', he demanded, "_**What is this I'm hearing**_?"

Kiku bit his tongue as he recalled how he declared Yao's name to the others, "_**Gomennasai, it was a slip-of-the-tongue... I promise I'll fix this**_." Moving slightly forward, he said, "Francis-san is right, Gilbert-san. Yao-nii is a term affectionately used for Yan-Yan by those dear to her. But Ivan-san relinquished the right to call her that when they broke up."

Elizabeta grinned inwardly, knowing Kiku was using one of the plots from his yaoi-manga. Yao was absolutely stunned, his face becoming cherry-red, '_Aiyaa Kiku! From which angle does it look like you're fixing it? You're making it worse, aru_!'

Ivan TRULY hated it whenever anyone interrupted with his plans but seeing the blush on Yao's face made Ivan decide to run with Kiku's story, wanting to see him even more flustered, "DA~ that's right! We're ex-lovers but I cannot get over someone like her!" Ivan let his imagination take over him, "Our past relationship was full of eroticism. Not to say it wasn't an enchanted love but we did drown ourselves deeply in lus-"

**CLONCK!**

Yao had thrown the wok straight to Ivan's head. Clenching his hands into fists, he screeched, "STOP telling them lies!" and came forward to drag Ivan towards the waitresses, "_**What ARE you doing, aru**_!"

Ivan smiled innocently and whispered back, "_**I was about to tell them how you sweetly moaned 'Ahh~ Ahh~ right there~' underneath me whenever we made love**_." With that statement, Yao was frothing at the mouth while the faces of his coworkers heated up, unable to believe he could say all-of-that with such purity on his face.

Elizabeta, on the other hand, appreciated his response. She stated aloud, "Igen, that's sounds amazing." Yao glared at her for making that comment which temporarily switched off the fangirl within her, "_**Bocsánat, I got carried away**_."

Yao later pointed to Ivan, "_**And you! How dare you assume what my position would be! If anything, it's me who should be the dominant partner, aru**_!"

Ivan, wanting to tease Yao, gushed, "_**Yao-Yao, is that a confession**_?"

Realizing it almost looked like he was confessing, Yao huffed, "_**As if, you idiot**_!"

The Russian feigning disappointment, "_**Fine, but if you don't want me telling them more colourful details, then you know what to do**_."

Before Yao could give his reply, Kiku —who at that time was in deep thought, pondering about what he might put in his next manga issue— added, "_**Yao-nii being a 'seme' and Ivan-san being a 'neko'? That's an intriguing concept**_." After receiving a glare from Yao which was similar to the one he had given Elizabeta, Kiku felt embarrassed that he had voiced his thoughts out, "_**Sumimasen, I didn't mean to interrupt**_."

Narrowing his eyes at the person who gave Ivan the fuel to light up his erotic-fantasy, Yao then turned to look at the Russian. He wondered whether he could get away with committing first-degree-murder before sighing in defeat and agreeing to go on the date. Much to everyone's surprise, Yao didn't seemed stressed when Ivan might reveal he was a crossdresser but when Ivan tried to paint him as a lascivious person, Yao readily gave into his demands.

'_His prudish nature must have kicked in.'_

* * *

After the discussion between Ivan and Yao, Adnan had finally stepped out of the kitchen to push the customers out, telling them it was past closing-time and they had to leave. Heracles had also stepped forward to assist the Turk, mumbling something about never minding one's own business. It looked like Antonio wanted to protest, but they all heard Ivan calmly say with a hint of malice, "Please don't spoil this for me." Not sure whether the Spaniard picked up on the ambiguous intent, Antonio just smiled while nodding and left the cafe with the others.

When the door was closed, Arthur scoffed, "I knew the Spanish Twat would blackmail again."

Little did Arthur know, his judgment was actually wrong. Antonio technically never blackmailed Lovino into going for this date. Lovino just conveniently used blackmail as a guise to spend time with the Spaniard, '_Does it make me a coward for doing that_?' He pushed his thoughts on the back-burner when he heard Elizabeta gasp.

"Istenem! Antonio blackmailed using this cafe again?" The others were surprised by her question. Matthew asked whether she was paying any attention to what was happening. Elizabeta replied, "I got distracted by the love drama that was happening between Yao and Ivan."

"There's no love drama: just chaos!" Yao -with his face slightly rosy- turned to give Kiku a fiery glare, "All of that started because you had to open your mouth! Why are you here, aru?"

Kiku trying to look as apologetic as possible, "Gomennasai Yao-nii, I never meant to upset you. The only reason why I came here was because I wanted to help XiaoMei sell more tickets for the 'Film Festival'," and produced a batch of tickets from his coat.

All of them had heard about it. They knew it was just as exciting as all the events, hence they bought the tickets from Kiku. While Feliks got his ticket, he inquired, "Before you all leave, I want to know, is everyone here going for this date?"

The 'waitresses' nodded along with Elizabeta (she noticed her boyfriend who had just stepped out of the kitchen giving her the 'okay') but they realized they had two extra members present —Heracles and Adnan— and waited for their replies.

Heracles stated, "I'm sure Adnan is too busy to come along since he has to spend his time with his new lover," His voice had a slight chiding tone as he glanced at the Turk, "You mustn't ignore Hassan otherwise he'll think you're a heartless d*ck."

Before Adnan could say not to speak for him, Heracles turned towards the others, "I might be busy with dates, so I don't think I'll show up either." It looked like the Turk was surprised by that statement and inquired whether he got a lover already. With a nonchalant expression, Heracles replied, "Lover? More like f*ck buddy."

That seemed to rub Adnan the wrong way. In a sardonic tone, he stated, "Ah yes, the Resident-Slut needs his fix, doesn't he?"

The Greek arched his eyebrow, "I thought the title was Resident-Sex-God."

"Same difference!" Adnan spat out while he started to move towards the changing-room

Heracles jeered as he followed the Turk, "Ilithios! That doesn't make any sense..." to which they all heard Adnan loudly say, "Oh, but it does!"

Everyone stared at each other, not sure what was going on. Finally, it was Roderich who broke the silence, "Don't worry, you get used to it after awhile." The others inquired whether this was a daily occurrence. He nodded, "They've been like this eversince the drama-show ended."

Feliks questioned, "Does this, like, explain why you're here nearly every-single-day?"

"I don't want them ruining my kitchen with their constant bickering," Roderich answered.

Elizabeta, a knowing expression on her face, stated, "The UST between them is interfering their work? That's interesting."

'_That's not what he meant_...' But the group knew that was what she wanted it to be and proceeded to go towards the changing-room. While they were getting ready to leave, they noticed that before Kiku could leave, Adnan had asked for an extra ticket for the 'Film Festival' to give to Hassan. They weren't sure if it was to spite the Greek since Heracles left soon after.

x

**A/N**: The battle between pitchers (seme) vs catchers (neko)- not every guy is willing to play the role of a neko [male-pride/dominance etc] hence, even Yao (who looks the most womanly) is reluctant to be a catcher.

_We want to tell you guys are awesome- thanks for taking some time of your day to read/review this story_


	24. Chapter 24

**THE CAFE OF DOUBLE LIVES...**

**Chapter 24**

A few days had passed since Antonio visited the cafe. Since Lovino and Arthur were practicing for the Flash-mob-dance, they were always the ones to arrive last for their shift. Changing into the cafe attire, Lovino recalled everything that happened this past week. Eversince the pseudo-blackmailing-event happened, Lovino has been telling himself that he wasn't excited for the date. He absolutely wasn't excited for the date. He truly wasn't excited– which was why he didn't understand why he was so shocked when Yao announced, "Ivan sent a message informing the date has been put on hold, aru."

Lovino stopped rearranging his wig to give Yao a disbelieving stare, "Perché?"

Yao, who at moment was taking a break from serving the customers, answered, "The message stated 'a lot of planning is needed to be done'," When Lovino asked what sort of planning, he replied, "Your guess is as good as mine, aru," and left the changing-room soon after.

Lovino wasn't pleased with that info. Antonio hadn't been showing up recently. Though was to be expected since the Spaniard _did_ have a life and couldn't afford to come to the cafe daily. This was one of the reasons why Lovino wanted to go on this date: he needed answers to all the obscure feelings brewing inside of him. If he spent enough time with Antonio, he would get them. Now, it didn't look like the date would be happening any time soon.

Of course, he himself could have requested Antonio for a date, but he would risk showing others that he wanted to be near Antonio. That was the main thing he wanted to avoid showing. Especially to Arthur.

On cue, a locker door was banged shut, and Lovino turned to see Arthur, wearing a frown.

"Why do you look so disappointed? I thought you would welcome such news."

Wanting to run around in panic for showing his feelings, Lovino immediately responded, "I'm not disappointed." Trying to come up with a good excuse, he stuttered, "I-it's m-more like I feel f-frustrated that this date situation is dragging on. I just want to get it over and done with!"

Arthur eyed him for awhile before leaving the changing-room. Lovino hoped he didn't rise any suspicions as he followed the other to serve the customers.

While the employees worked, they felt they knew almost all their secrets or more likely they would soon learn their secrets (like how they learnt why Elizabeta was depressed, or why Yao was wary of Ivan, or the reason why Adnan and Hercules weren't roommates anymore). The one person who remained a mystery, however, was Feliks. If Antonio didn't blackmail them that one time, they would have never learned why Feliks wanted to keep the cafe a secret.

What amazed them about Feliks was that whenever he got depressed, he somehow was able to overcome it quickly. However, these past few days, he seemed out-of-sorts. The employees were mildly surprised when he decided to close the cafe early one Saturday afternoon. When asked, Feliks answered, "Duh, today is the Film Festival. It would be a waste if we stayed in. Lets all go together- it'll be like totally rad if we do that!"

The group wasn't sure if that really was the reason, but who were they to argue with the boss for letting them leave work early? With smiles on their faces, they proceeded to change into their regular outfits to leave for the college-campus where the festival would be taking place.

* * *

Out of the whole group present, Adnan was the only one who didn't leave with them. He left earlier: probably to pick up Hassan, they assumed. They would've asked Heracles but he didn't seem very approachable, so they decided to drop it.

As they reached the campus, Lovino wasn't sure what to expect. This was the first time that he had actually gone to this event. The Film-department was just recently introduced (one of the reasons why the number of students attending this field was less), so the Film Festival wasn't that well known as the other events. But that didn't mean it wasn't popular. What Lovino gathered from the group was that the event was handled differently from the other events. The various films which the students presented would definitely be graded by the some of their professors, but the grand price (part of money gained by selling the tickets) awarded to the best film, was judged by film students. Basically, it was peers judging peers.

Most of the students would showcase their best work —a documentary or a short film— either funny, serious, or dramatic; all of which contributed in making the event just as exciting as the others.

Heading towards the section of the building dedicated to the Film-department, the group soon entered a screening hall which almost resembled the cinema halls. There were rows of seats which were devised on steep; in the front, there was a huge viewing screen; and (if Lovino wasn't mistaken) on the each side of the wall, there were some built-in sound speakers. Though Lovino noted the screening hall wasn't as big as the University Auditorium, it was still impressive. He thought, '_Roberto sure puts money into good use, doesn't he?_'

The group wasn't sure if it was because they bought the tickets late or Kiku had given them a good deal- they found their seats were in the last rows. They were lucky because nobody wanted to sit close to the cinema-screen. As they moved up the stairs, they saw Adnan and Hassan were already seated in the last row. The Turk waved at them and started to introduce the Egyptian senior when they reached them. Again, they weren't sure whether or not this was Kiku's doing, but Heracles, after awhile, pointed out that he wouldn't be sitting with them since his seat number was different and proceeded to move a few rows down.

Disliking the awkward atmosphere quickly forming, Feliks asked everyone to sit down. He along with Elizabeta and Roderich sat in the row with Adnan and Hassan while Yao, Matthew, Arthur and Lovino sat in the row infront of them. Lovino heard Feliks asking, "Did we miss anything?"

"Just a few documentaries," Adnan replied while passing the pamphlets which contained the schedule of all the films that was to be screened, "You guys are lucky– after a few more documentaries and films, YongSoo's selection is coming up. So you haven't missed anything really."

Feliks had relief written in his face, "Dzięki bogu, I would've been totally bummed out if I'd missed that."

With his curiosity piqued, Lovino inquired, "Are his films that good?"

Yao, reading the pamphlet, replied, "YongSoo might be a pervert but I've to admit all of his work so far are amazing, aru. I'll always remember the documentary he made about how America is the melting pot of all cultures."

Elizabeta nodded in response, "Igen, that was a good one. He had gone cross-country and interviewed the various ethnicities. He even pointed out everything that is popular in America are from different countries: firecrackers from China, pizza from Italy, coffee from Brazil, etc."

Lovino, slightly in awe, asked what was the title of YongSoo's documentary. The group replied in unison, "Living the Korean dream."

"HUH?" Lovino said that just in time for the next film to be screened, so whatever was needed to be said had to be whispered, "_**What sort of title is that**_!"

Matthew whispered back, "_**Alfred said the same thing. I was pretty sure he was going to suffer a heartattack watching that, instead from all the hamburgers he had eaten**_."

Arthur stifled his laughter, "_**Heh, I remembered the bugger's face was so red-in-rage after he came out of the screening hall**_."

Yao turned to look at Lovino to explain further, "_**See the thing with YongSoo's films is: no matter what it's about, you can always expect the title to contain anything related to 'Korea', aru**_."

Then Roderich stepped in, "_**Though I think this time, he might have chosen a completely appropriate title that might suit his documentary**_." When he said that, they proceeded to search for YongSoo's name in the pamphlets and sure enough, they saw he was right. YongSoo had chosen a title called 'Kings of Air' to represent his selection. Roderich later stated, _**"I think it's safe to assume the video's about birds."**_

* * *

After the screening of various short films and documentaries, next to be showcased was YongSoo's. Lovino noted the audience seemed to anxiously wait for the film to start. '_I guess this guy is really a talented director for being able to catch everyone's attention_.'

But Lovino was baffled. Instead of the film looking like it was based on a documentary about birds, it resembled the Blair-Witch-Project. The surroundings was dimly lit; the screen seemed to shake a couple of times indicating the person holding the camera was in a hurry; then it looked like said-person had stopped running since the screen didn't move anymore. Confused as ever, Lovino watched the screen, wondering when the birds were going to show up.

Rows ahead of the group, confusion wasn't what was going through YongSoo. It was absolute panic. '_Ikun mwoya?_!' He immediately looked inside the contents of his knapsack. He submitted the wrong film. The actual documentary that he wanted to show was still in his bag!

The film which was being screened now was the film which YongSoo christened in his mind 'My-ticket-to-claim-Kiku's-breasts'. The reason he kept it in his bag in the first place was because he had hoped a situation would come up where Kiku might change his mind and invite him to his place to watch it. Hence, he kept the film with him at all times, just to be prepared.

Unable to believe that he made such a goof-up, YongSoo's knuckles turned white as he clutched onto the bag. He couldn't get up from his seat. As much as he wanted the stop whatever was being screened, he couldn't: his legs felt as heavy as lead.

Looking around to observe the audience, YongSoo saw everyone still looked captivated by what they were seeing. He wasn't surprised: afterall, he himself, on that day, was also captivated by the emotions being shown on the faces of the two people onscreen, '_Surely, it's because they belong to the drama-department that they emote so well, daze_.'

However, Adnan wasn't as appreciative as YongSoo, '_Tanrim! What is going on?_!'

Observing himself onscreen, Adnan felt this whole scenario was nightmare. Like YongSoo, he couldn't move as he watched in horror, recognizing all that was being shown on the huge screen. Still feeling rooted to his place, Adnan turned diagonally to his left, hoping the Greek -who was sitting a few rows ahead- would do something like stop the film from being shown.

Heracles instead was busy snoring away.

'_Is he suffering from Narcolepsy? How can he sleep at a time like this!_'

x

**A/N**: The scene which YongSoo filmed in ch15 is now unveiled for everyone to see ^^


	25. Chapter 25

**THE CAFE OF DOUBLE LIVES...**

**Chapter 25**

After cursing Heracles' ability to fall asleep at the drop-of-a-hat, Adnan was now thankful for the fact that even though the film was being screened, there was no audio available. This meant the conversation onscreen between the Greek and himself was lost on the audience. However his sense of relief was soon followed by a sense of dread when he heard someone saying, "Not that I don't appreciate the silent movie approach, but SOMEBODY forgot to add captions."

That frustrated sentence was uttered by Viet– a determined young Vietnamese woman known for her natural skillfulness to make all sorts of things. She was sitting in the middle rows along with Thanit (a young man with inky black hair who wore thin black-framed-glasses) and the newly formed couple: XiaoMei and Kiku. Her voice echoed because the screening hall was small.

Viet turned to her boyfriend, "Thanit, you know how to lipread, right? Can you decipher what they are saying?"

"I'll try, but I'm not sure how accurate it will be, ana~" His voice echoed as well, so everyone in the hall patiently waited as he adjusted his black-framed-specs before concentrating on the task. Looking at Heracles onscreen, Thanit loudly stated, "Um, let's see, he just said— _'For your information, the truth is always stretched,'_" and then looking at Adnan, "he replied— _'But there is some truth involved, right? You can't blame me for thinking this way.'_"

While Thanit was lipreading, he wondered whether a murder-mystery-case was going on between the two onscreen. So he became confused with the conversation as he read Heracles' lips, "_'Since you think that way, I want to know... What you do think of all the things we did in the past?'_"

After a brief silence, and then mouthing Adnan's words, Thanit felt this conversation was not only confusing, but weird as well, "'_Two male animals in heat, satisfying each other,'_" he now wondered whether he was lipreading correctly. But finally, when he mouthed Heracles' words, "_'You honestly believe I would do all of that to any random person for so long without any feelings attached?'_" he realized this was a very private conversation and didn't want to lipread anymore.

Just when Adnan (who was dying from embarrassment) felt it couldn't get any worse, it did. He, along with the rest of his colleagues, learnt Elizabeta wasn't the only homophillic person attending their University.

The screening hall erupted in various voices– everyone enthusiastically picking up where Thanit left off, but not lipreading correctly. Instead they decided spin the dialogue to suit their own desires.

* * *

"What am I suppose to think! You're known for sleeping around!"

"That isn't true. I use my body to express the emotions that I've had, and these days, I only use it for you."

"I feel nothing towards you. The only reason why I respond to you is because of your seductive love making skills!"

"Liar, I know you don't feel that way. Please, I've spent my whole life searching for you– don't leave me now."

Adnan couldn't believe all the random melodramatic lines he was hearing from the audience. In the end, he couldn't take it anymore when he heard someone mouthing his supposed-dialogue: "Fine, if you love me, then claim me, you Big Stallion, you!"

Standing up from his seat, Adnan shouted, "HEYYYYYYYY! That was NOT what was being said!"

Of course, nobody believed him, especially after what came next on the screen: Heracles was in the process of claiming Adnan by pushing the Turk on the lecturer's desk. In the beginning, it looked like Adnan resisted but soon gave into the Greek's ministrations. He seemed all too eager to remove their shirts while being involved in a smooching marathon.

To be honest, the scenes weren't explicit; considering it was only a make-out session where there were prolonged passionate French kisses with some skin-to-skin contact (nothing further). Nevertheless, the whole session was extremely hot and was appreciated– the screening hall was now filled with clapping, squealing, and cheering from fangirls and fanboys alike.

There were two things Adnan couldn't believe: First, he couldn't believe YongSoo had the gall to continue filming the scenes and Second, he couldn't believe the expression he was showing onscreen, '_What the? I look like I want something desperately_...'

Glancing over at the sleeping Greek, Adnan instead saw Heracles was wide awake and leaning forward; his attention entirely focused on what was being screened.

'_Now, he chooses to wake up_!'

Adnan then felt pairs of eyes on him and saw his colleagues were leering at him with raised eyebrows, almost asking him 'Is this for real?' (well, except Elizabeta, who was holding Roderich's napkin to her nose to stop the hemorrhage. And Roderich who was far more concerned about his girlfriend's well-being than what was going on around him).

Trying to play it cool, Adnan inquired, "If I were to tell you that the person onscreen is my doppelgänger, would you believe me?" When they shook their heads, he sighed, "I thought so." And realization dawned on him.

Snapping his attention to Hassan, he noticed how the Egyptian senior calmly watched the screen with one leg neatly crossed over the other. He stroked his chin in thought.

"This... clears up everything," Hassan slowly stated.

'_I hope YongSoo has a good explanation for all this... before I finish him off,' _Adnan thought darkly.

* * *

With all the films having been screened, the group was outside the screening hall. Metres away from them, they saw an unsettling scene.

"Uwah, it totally looks like Adnan will chew YongSoo's head off," Feliks watched as Adnan ranted angrily at YongSoo.

A small smirk played on his lips as Lovino asked, "Should we be worried about that pervert's safety?"

"Maybe, we should intervene..." Matthew looked over at them worriedly.

Yao waved his hand, dismissing Matthew's suggestion, "Leave them the alone, aru. YongSoo needs to be taught a lesson. Hopefully, by now, he'll learn that it's wrong to be a peeping tom and won't spy on me again while I'm in the bathroom!"

Heracles stood by them, wondering whether or not this whole affair would affect the dynamic equilibrium established between Adnan and himself. Fortunately or unfortunately for him, that would soon be cleared up as he heard a friendly but authoritative voice.

"Messa el rir, Heracles." The cafe group turned to see Hassan was standing beside the Greek. Heracles gave his greeting back, though it looked like he wasn't sure how to interact with the attractive senior. Under normal circumstances, the others would have given these two some space to discuss their matters. But they didn't want to miss the confrontation between the present lover vs the philanderer, so they remained in their places.

After a moment of silence between them, Hassan stated, "YongSoo's work always remains intriguing, don't you agree?"

Even though he still had feelings for Adnan, Heracles didn't want to be responsible for breaking up a relationship. So, he felt he needed to dispel whatever misunderstanding the film had caused, "Hassan, let me tell you: Adnan never cheated on you. All of that occurred before you both started dating."

"It would be impossible for Adnan to cheat on me," Hassan responded.

Heracles twitched, hearing the confident tone of his voice, '_Is he__ implying it's impossible for Adnan to cheat on him with someone like me_?'

"Because we aren't dating in the first place."

Heracles stared at him in shock. Not sure whether heard it correctly, he managed to speak, "But... News has been going around campus that you two are a couple."

Hassan watched the interaction between Adnan and YongSoo while he spoke, "All the rumours began because we recently been spending a lot of time together."

"Didn't... you ever go on a date?" Heracles inquired.

"Oh, we did. I was interested in him," Hassan replied. "But after our first date, Adnan confided in me that his heart was already taken by someone who was very special to him. He said it wouldn't be fair to me if he lead me on."

Hassan's eyes now cast down, "Later, we decided to remain friends. Though I won't lie to you– when the rumours about us were flying, I indulged myself in them a little because for a brief moment, I was his," then turning his gaze back to Heracles, "I was curious to know who his special person was, but judging from what I saw on the screen, my question has been answered."

"I feel slightly jealous that you were able to bring about such a reaction from him." His expression became a bit serious and –not breaking eye contact with Heracles— Hassan boldly stated, "I might come across a little aggressive, but Adnan is a good man and he's worth fighting for. Although, you may have a head-start over me, if you don't take the initiative to pursue him now, I will make him mine."

"Is that a warning?" When Heracles saw Hassan give him a nod, Heracles smiled and turned to look where Adnan was, "Rest assured. I'm not going to let him slip through my fingers again."

x

**A/N**: Thanit is Thailand (not much is mentioned about him except he's observant, has a smile which nobody can refuse, a verbal tic 'ana' & usually starts his sentences with a 'Um/Hm')


	26. Chapter 26

**THE CAFE OF DOUBLE LIVES...**

**Chapter 26**

Since Adnan was shouting at the top of lungs and yelling all profanities known to man, YongSoo looked like he was cowering infront of him with his palms over his ears. But in reality, the Korean zoned out as he thought, '_Yikes! I can't believe he uses so many swear words. And to think he actually uses that mouth to kiss Heracles... I remember there was also some nipping and licking involved_.'

YongSoo shook his head to stop his thoughts and checked whether his ears were bleeding after being exposed to the high-noise-level. Then he zoned back in just in time to hear Adnan saying, "And thanks to YOU, now everyone will think that is what Heracles and I do behind closed doors!"

"Cham-kkan-ma-nyo! Don't assume that's what I intentionally wanted to be screened: you aren't the only one who will be suffering the consequences, daze! Not only am I probably going to be disqualified from getting the grand prize, my grades will suffer because I don't think my professors will appreciate the film!" YongSoo sighed, "This time, I wanted to change everyone's opinion about me coming up with unusual titles... My documentary was about birds, and I had selected an appropriate title." Pointing towards the screening hall, he asked, "Do you think what was shown in there had anything to do with flying, daze?"

Adnan –for a moment– sympathized with what YongSoo was going through. Until he added, "Well, the only thing that flew was you before Heracles mounted you."

As soon as YongSoo said that, he realized what a big mistake he had committed. Adnan cracked his knuckles and growled, "You've no business possessing such a thing... You better explain to me why you have that video in the first place!"

Now really cowering in fear, YongSoo stuttered, "K-Kiku has an a-affinity to these s-sort of things... I had hoped it might help me get closer to him."

Adnan put his chin down to convey a judgmental attitude, "You decided to film the most private moments of my life just so that you can hook up with Kiku?"

Confused on why the Turk was upset with his reply, YongSoo shifted uncomfortably, "Now, when you put it that way... it sounds awkward, daze."

"How-else am I suppose to phrase it? That's exactly how it looks to me!" Adnan snapped back. His fists shook as he continued, "And for your information, Kiku's in a relationship with XiaoMei. There is no way he would consider two-timing her."

YongSoo gave a shrug in response, feeling that particular detail wasn't too important, "Well, I was thinking XiaoMei could join in with Kiku being the 'lucky Pierre.' After all, 'ménage-a-trois' was invented in Korea!"

Resisting the urge to knock YongSoo on the head, Adnan thought, '_Does this guy even realize he's quoting French words? And how can Kiku be the 'lucky Pierre' when one of them in this 'ménage-a-trois'_ _is a girl? Wait, why am I fussing about the specifics_!' His eyes widened. '_No, the more important question is how do I know about all these specifics?_... _Argh! It's Elizabeta's influence: her Boy'sLove-Crazy ways are now integrated into my brain_!'

While Adnan was having a semi-midlife crises, he heard someone shouting, "ADNAN SADIQ!" and tensed up. He recognized it. Heracles. But it couldn't have come from the usual carefree Greek. He would never shout like that.

* * *

Nonetheless, Adnan slowly looked over his shoulder to check. There stood an expressionless Hassan and a slightly upset Heracles, who both seemed to be well-acquainted.

'_Looks like Heracles is informed of everything. Kahretsin, I always assumed he'd avoid being near Hassan, judging from all the times that he had actively avoided being in the same-breathing-space_...' (Adnan had no clue that it was the attractive senior who had approached the tanned junior instead).

Noticing Heracles' expression clearly translated to 'You lied to me!,' Adnan became overwhelmed. On top of trying to deal with the YongSoo-dilemma, he didn't how to deal with this new one which seemed more worrisome than the first. So, his body went through a fight-or-flight reaction... Turning towards YongSoo, Adnan grabbed hold of his collar and pulled him close. "I'm letting you off the hook today, but you better destroy that video ASAP! 'Cuz if you don't, I'll hunt you down and you'll regret the day you EVER kept it!" Just as he finished his warning, he let go of YongSoo's shirt and fled quickly.

Adnan then heard Heracles say, "ILITHIOS, stop running away!" Saying that to Adnan was as good as a cop saying the same thing to a thief: he ran for his life, seeing as Heracles was now chasing after him.

As Adnan went towards the exit-doors, he knew he was just prolonging the inevitable. Even if he were to escape from the Greek today, he would still have to deal with Heracles when he met him at the cafe or at their classes. But with his emotions in disarray, Adnan wanted a temporary solution. He had to HIDE.

Sure enough, while he was scanning for a hiding place, he came across the University-Rose-Gardens. Adnan always felt these gardens belonged to a couples-resort. Instead of being a quiet area for students to be encouraged to study in, it elicited reactions akin to those who are in love because of the various rose bushes that were in full bloom, and the benches available were for two-seaters.

But this wasn't where he wanted to hide. His attention was on the Hedge Maze next to the gardens. It was infamous for students getting lost in the elaborate labyrinth system. '_He wouldn't be stupid enough to follow me in there_...' Adnan unknowingly labeled himself stupid enough to actually go in there in the first place.

Meanwhile, back inside the building, the group was amazed after seeing Heracles chase Adnan. They had learned the actual truth behind the Hassan-Adnan-Heracles triangle, but they couldn't understand why Adnan let them assume he was in a relationship with Hassan. However, they stopped thinking about it when they saw Elizabeta moving towards YongSoo.

Roderich sighed, reading their minds, "Elizabeta is certain that Adnan must've asked YongSoo to get rid of the video... She wants to get a copy before he does."

Hassan decided it was time to go home but, before he could leave, he stated, "I think it'd be wise to follow her... Who's to say YongSoo doesn't have videos of other people's intimate moments?" He shrugged and dismissed himself.

Lovino stared at Hassan's back, wondering whether or not the Egyptian was joking. The tone of his voice suggested he knew something that the others didn't. Glancing over at his colleagues, the Italian saw they were also contemplating the same thing.

Finally, the group came to the decision to follow Hassan's advice and chased after YongSoo.

* * *

Adnan wasn't sure how long he had been running, but he noted since it was twilight slowly becoming nightfall, the setting almost resembled those fairytales where the princess is running away from the dragon. '_Hahaha, does this mean Heracles is the dragon here?... No, waitaminute, does that make me the princess then? Did I just refer to myself as the princess!_?'

Just as he was berating himself for thinking that way, Adnan realized he was at centre of the maze. He had heard some of the students –who were unlucky enough to get lost– talk about what they found there. Right at the heart of the maze, was a medium-sized fountain. At it's four corners, there were five-feet-tall beautiful maiden statues made of marble, pouring water from their vases. There were also intricate designs of flora on the sides of the marble-pavement-circumference. It was a spectacular masterpiece. Adnan wondered why it was located in a place where people get to rarely see it._  
_

He couldn't ponder about it any further when he saw Heracles appearing from one of the openings of the maze. Even though the Greek was at the other side of the fountain, he didn't let his guard down. Heracles slowly moved around the circumference of the fountain; Adnan mirrored his movements step-by-step.

Heracles was out of breath as he spoke, "You know... I'd rather be... sleeping on a hammock right now... than run around."

"Then why did you chase after me?" Adnan asked, making sure he kept a safe distance away from the Greek.

A good question. Instead of pursuing Adnan now, Heracles could have –at his own leisurely pace– confronted him whenever he wanted to. But Hassan's challenging gaze and his words gave Heracles the extra push to face his feelings once-and-for-all.

'_Although you may have a head-start over me, if you don't take the initiative to pursue him now, I will make him mine._'

Trying to get closer, Heracles stated, "We need to have a serious discussion, so stop moving."

"I'll stop moving when you stop moving," Adnan shook his head.

Feeling like they were reaching a stalemate, Heracles declared, "Fine, we'll count to three and stop moving at the same time."

"Wait," Adnan put his hands in the air, but didn't halt his movements, "Do we stop moving after 3 or on 3?"

'_Always stuck on the specifics_!' Heracles wanted to groan but he sighed instead, "On three."

In the end, they counted while walking step-by-step, "One... Two..."

"Three!" They both stopped moving. Their eyes remained locked on the other as they took short, shallow breaths. Finally, Heracles asked, "Why did you lie to me about your relationship with Hassan?"

Crossing his arms, Adnan retorted, "I didn't lie. You assumed all of that on your own!"

Heracles rebutted in slightly frustrated tone, "Then why didn't you clear it up!"

Adnan felt that was a reasonable question. And he had a reasonable answer, but he needed some time to collect his thoughts. While closing his eyes, Adnan tried to formulate the best possible response, hoping his next statement would convince Heracles that the relationship –which they previously had– would be better off if neither of them acted on the feelings they had for each other. But just as he was thinking, he heard splashes of water.

Wondering if it was raining, Adnan opened his eyes. The sight caught him off guard: Heracles was in the middle of the fountain and was charging towards him. Before Adnan could react, Heracles had crossed the diameter of the circular fountain and his foot was on the marble-pavement. Using that pavement, he propelled himself up in the air. At that moment, Adnan could honestly describe Heracles as a large cat which was about to pounce on its prey.

And he was the prey.

Adnan tried to escape, but Heracles had tackled him down, both falling to the ground. Thankfully, the ground was covered by layer of thick soft grass, otherwise Adnan's head would have been cracked open. Heracles sat on his stomach, the Turk having cushioned his fall.

"Oh man," Adnan groused, feeling the air leave his lungs. "You're heavy..."

"I don't have an ounce of fat on me," Heracles lifted his shirt to exposed his torso, insulted by Adnan's remark. Heracles had a wonderfully sculpted body, and his eight-pack was tanned beautifully.

Knowing the other just wanted to show off his body, Adnan raised a brow, "Regardless, you're still heavy– so get off!"

"όχι," Heracles grabbed Adnan's wrists and pinned them to the ground above his head. His face hovered a few inches infront of Adnan's. "Not until I get my answers..."

x

**A/N**: What's a "lucky Pierre"? All that can be said is: YongSoo's more perverted than he appears to be ^0^ ... There's a lack of SpaMano [but not for long ^_^], hopefully the amazing cover (& a few doodles) made by our beloved reviewer **KichiMiangra** will make up for it- remove the spaces from below

http:/ /www. kichimiangra. deviantart. com/#/d3gog33

http:/ /www. kichimiangra. deviantart. com/art/Doodles-5-14-11-208761457


	27. Chapter 27

**THE CAFE OF DOUBLE LIVES...**

**Chapter 27  
**

Disliking the predicament he was in, Adnan tried to escape from the Greek's grasp. He attempted to pull his hands away, however the firm grip on his wrists thwarted his efforts. He then thrashed his legs about, but Heracles didn't budge. Furrowing his brows in frustration, Adnan thought, '_True to his name, this guy is ridiculously strong_!'

Heracles –still inches away from his face– asked in a bored tone, "Ilithios, are you done yet?" In response, Adnan emitted a low growl from his throat. The Greek couldn't help but find it very GAR-inducing. Finally when Adnan gave a nod, Heracles sighed.

"I don't get it. Our feelings are mutual. Yet you..." With a hurt look on his face, Heracles inquired while tightening the grip on Adnan's wrists, "Why did you hide the fact that you weren't in a relationship?"

Wincing slightly because of the added pressure, Adnan stared into Heracles' eyes as he spoke, "Before I answer that question, answer me this: Out of the people you've dated, how many have you kept in contact with?"

Even though Heracles didn't see how it had any relevance to their present conversation, he answered truthfully, "None."

Adnan snorted disdainfully, "Case settled." Heracles countered in baffled tone, "How so? Please explain to me because you're being vague."

"Most of your conquests ended up being one night stands, and all the people you've ever dated were with you for maybe a week or two." As Adnan was telling this, he recalled that in the beginning he used to get jealous at the amount of action the Greek was getting; but now he wondered who he was really jealous of— Heracles or his dates.

He then stated, "After the dating period was over, you never stayed in contact with any of them. What guarantee do you have to give me that it won't happen to us after we break-up."

Adnan hoped he didn't sound like a sap, but soon stopped thinking about it when Heracles asked, "Have you been thinking like that this whole time?"

Feeling a blush painting his face, Adnan turned away to avoid staring into those jade eyes. "Eversince we met in freshmen year, we always bickered. I thought you were nothing but a lazy brat," Adnan admitted. "However, I soon noticed even though you seem laid-back, underneath you've a serious personality. You continued to challenge me in each and every way– my feelings of respect towards you must have turned into something more... Especially considering the fact that I hated it whenever we didn't speak to each other or when you gave me the cold shoulder." Then Adnan gave him a sideway glance as he declared, "I-I don't want to risk losing what we have..." He tried to will his blush away.

Heracles stared at him for some time. Finally, he deadpanned, "You're so stupid."

"You insolent brat!" Adnan shouted defensively, turning his head to glare at the Greek, "I'm pouring my heart out here!"

"I am not calling you stupid for that..." Heracles shook his head in disappointment as he released Adnan's hands, "I just can't believe you've such little faith in our friendship." He got off the Turk and sat next to him, his back toward Adnan.

'_It's gonna leave a bruise tomorrow_,' Adnan thought as he inspected his wrists –seeing the slowly forming marks left by Heracles' strong grip– before sitting up straight. He faced the other direction since he was still miffed at being called stupid. So there they were, back-to-back with a tiny space separating them. After a few moments of silence, Adnan heard Heracles sigh before speaking, "Let me be clear again: the reason why I gave you the cold shoulder one time was because after brooding over Elizabeta, you just went on with your life and pretended like nothing ever happened between us."

Heracles remembered he was extremely pissed, but considering how thick-headed Adnan was, he felt maybe it was his fault for not stating the facts out loud. "Concerning the one night stands, I don't see why I need to keep in contact with them. That is the point it's called a 'one night stand:' you never have to see that person again. And –out of all the people I've dated— none of them came close to how much you mean to me."

"If I had to put my words down in a metaphor– you're the sweetest apple on the highest tree while the rest of them were on the ground. It took me some time to get to you, and I won't let go of you anytime soon," Leaning his back on Adnan's, Heracles put his head on the other's shoulder as he looked to the sky. "Only the gods know what the future holds for us, but I can assure you of one thing; even if the relationship between us never works out, our friendship will last because I know it's not shallow."

The Greek remained quiet, wondering whether or not Adnan was going to reply, but noting he hadn't spoken a word, Heracles added, "There is no turning back for us since we both feel the same way. I'll try my best to make things work. So, Adnan—" By that time, he had gotten up so Adnan had turned to look up at him.

With a high level of fortitude, Heracles finally proclaimed, "Come to me, and I'll give you everything I have..."

Adnan felt his heart skip a beat. The Greek stared at him intensively, waiting for his response. With his mind reeling in everything that happened, he felt taken off-guard. He swallowed dryly, "Before I give my reply... there is something we need to do."

Heracles raised his eyebrow wondering what was more important than what they were discussing, "Which is what?"

The Turk got up from his place, brushing the dirt from his clothes and answered, "We need to get out of here."

That was an understatement. It was slowly approaching nightfall– if they weren't able to get out of the maze soon, they would be wandering through it in darkness. Therefore, Heracles -for the time being- decided not to ask for a reply as they both tried to make their way out of the maze.

* * *

But it was more difficult than they imagined. They both either approached dead-ends or somehow made their way back to the heart of the maze, making them realize it was easier getting to the centre of the maze but more difficult getting out. Finally, they came to the decision to call for help using their cellphones. Heracles' phone was dead which Adnan didn't find surprising as he teased, "Ha! The phone is just like the owner! Always running out of juice and falling to sleep."

The Greek didn't let the teasing get to him as he brushed it coolly aside by saying, "I'm a lot more awake and attentive in bed. I've many sources who will back me up."

Feeling sour that Heracles was rubbing his face on many people he slept with, Adnan tsked, "Allah kahretsin... You're so inconsiderate. How can you not consider saying stuff like that might affect me?"

Heracles was slightly wide-eyed in astonishment. He knew he shouldn't, but the feeling within him was absolute elation seeing that the Turk was showing signs of jealousy and possessiveness. However, before he could comment on it, Adnan took out his cellphone and dialed up Elizabeta's number. Now, it was Heracles' turn to become jealous. Elizabeta _was_ Adnan's major crush for a long time.

Oblivious to Heracles' expression, Adnan thanked the heavens when he heard Elizabeta answer her phone and put the phone on speaker, praying the reception was enough to carry a decent conversation, "Merhaba Elizabeta, I'm with Heracles right now and we are lost in the maze."

She asked in sincerity, "_Is 'maze' a wordplay of some kinky sex position that you both are performing_?"

"WHAT the hell are you talking about!" Adnan roared, "What is wrong with you! We're really lost in the University-Hedge-Maze."

Elizabeta sighed, "_You're such a wet blanket. Can't let a girl can dream, can you_?"

The Turk couldn't believe her voice contained a condescending tone while Heracles had a hard time keeping his lips from forming a smile, especially when he saw the way Adnan sputter words in embarrassment. At this point, the Greek decided it was foolish of him to regard her as foe, rather he should consider her an ally. She'd definitely be the first one to give all her support to them.

In the midst of Adnan reprimanding Elizabeta, Heracles heard her stating, "_Hold on, I can't hear you well. I'll put you on speaker_..."

Heracles and Adnan realized she wasn't alone because soon after, they heard Feliks inquiring, "_Adnan, this question might seem totally out there but_ _I need to know- are the hedges, like, thick enough_?"

Adnan was slightly confused, "Yeah, they seem really thick. Why?"

Feliks replied as a matter-of-fact, "_Instead of walking through the maze, you've the option of walking on them and jumping from one hedge to the next_."

Now Adnan was unable to believe that Feliks was actually serious about it, "Impossible! The hedges are too high for us to climb on top of them. They are atleast 15feet tall." (he exaggerated the last detail but he didn't fancy the idea of them doing what Feliks suggested since they probably would end up getting fractured bones with one misplaced step or jump)

Feliks whistled, "_Bummer, I would, like, totally hate to be the gardener who has to maintain those hedges_."

Heracles rolled his eyes, "This conversation has now officially become 'out there'," while Adnan shared the same sentiments as he scoffed, "Feliks, is it because you smoked some of Tulip-Thief's weed that you're sprouting nonsense?"

Feliks' voice screeched out of the phone, "_Orlando didn't do any such thing_!" They heard Elizabeta now questioning, "_Then why do you keep snapping at Orlando after avoiding him for so long? He must have done something wrong to piss you off, igen_?"

Feeling time was running out since it was slowly getting dark, Heracles interrupted, "Excuse me, but we're still lost here. Do either of you have any other ideas on how to get us out of this mess?"

"_There is a way, but it's a long process_." Heracles and Adnan were surprised to hear Matthew's voice as well, but decided not to inquire as to why he was there with the other two, especially since he had a solution, so they asked him to continue. Matthew spoke slowly and clearly, "_The trick to getting out of a maze is to put one hand on the left-side-wall and don't take your hand off of it while you're walking. Even if you reach a dead-end, you just keep walking along_."

Heracles seemed unconvinced, "Are you sure about this?"

Matthew's voice contained a tinge-of-confidence as he replied, "_Positive. Running your hand along the wall of the maze without lifting it, will keep you on the right track_."

Finally, Adnan (though as unconvinced as Heracles) stated, "Alright... We'll give it a try. Thanks for the advice. Elveda."

As soon as Adnan hang up the phone, he saw Heracles had placed his left hand on the left side wall and with his right hand, he held Adnan's left hand. When he asked what the Greek was doing, Heracles responded, "It's getting dark. It's best if we hold hands so that we won't get lost."

To Adnan, that didn't make any sense. There was no way neither of them would lose each other if they stood next to each other. Usually the Turk would've teased Heracles for being a scaredy cat, but recalling all that was discussed, Adnan just gave a nod and let the other drag him along.

* * *

They both remained tight-lipped as they tried to find their way out. While walking, Adnan felt Heracles' hand was getting warmer by the minute. Truth-be-told, Adnan had hoped he would've been able to convince Heracles that it was would be useless for them to pursue a relationship, but his words had broken Adnan's resolve.

'_Come to me and I'll give you everything I have_...'

Not liking the silence between them, Heracles asked, "Why are you quiet? I thought you hated it when we didn't converse..."

Breaking himself out of his daze, Adnan replied, "I've been thinking..."

"It's assuring to know you think sometimes," Heracles turned to give a teasing smile to Adnan. "Otherwise your brain would've become a vestigial organ since you don't use it often."

As soon as Heracles said that, Adnan kicked his legs. The Greek fumbled in his step, before shooting a glare at him as he felt the kick was uncalled for.

Adnan huffed, "Very smooth, Heracles. You should write a dating-book that teaches how to insult the person who you want to enter a relationship with!"

Drinking in Adnan's words, Heracles' expression softened, "You.. want to enter a relationship with me?"

Adnan could literally feel steam coming out of his ears, knowing he was blushing. "You did say you would give everything you got... What more can I ask for?"

Heracles wanted to hug him and give a light kiss on the lips, which would probably deepen while they both try to take the lead (well, that was what he had assumed would happen, considering how obstinate Adnan was). But before he could wrap his arms around him, Adnan groaned, "You let go of the wall!"

The Greek knew that he did. How-else was he supposed to do the above when he wasn't in Adnan's personal-space? Shifting closer, he nonchalantly stated, "It's not going to go anywhere."

"_We _aren't going to go anywhere if we just stand here," Adnan wore a harsh expression.

Seeing Adnan was visibly tense, Heracles offered, "You know, sex outdoors is considered very relaxing."

"How did we end up with that topic?" Adnan facepalmed and just when he was about to call Heracles a 'hedonistic brat,' he noticed something. Patting Heracles on the shoulder, he asked, "Did you hear that?"

Heracles atfirst wondered what caught Adnan's attention, however after concentrating for awhile, he heard their names being called. He recognized the voices. It was his colleagues. He was confused as to why they hadn't gone home yet but decided not to dwell on it as Adnan and he ran towards the voices.

Maneuvering their way through maze using Matthew's advice and feeling the voices were close by, they reached the exit to see the whole gang standing there. As if the two had returned from war, everyone gave hugs to them and asked if everything between them was alright. Adnan and Heracles looked at each other before nodding in response.

* * *

After conversing with the group, Adnan was unable able to contain his curiosity, "What are you guys still doing here?"

Roderich answered before the others did, "We waited until they announced who got the grand prize." He, of course, didn't mention the real reason: Elizabeta wanted to get a backup-copy of the video from YongSoo (while the others had interrogated him to find out whether he had ever filmed them, covert style as well). Unfortunately for her, the AV club would only give it back after a week later, so she had to be patient. Roderich had an inkling that Adnan wanted the film to be destroyed as quickly as possible, hence he decided not to mention about it for his girlfriend's happiness.

But again, unfortunately for Elizabeta, Yao decided to be in a teasing mood, "And guess who won, aru?" Before she could beg him to stop talking, Yao added gleefully, "YongSoo's 'Kings of Air!' Apparently, the student board of the Film-Department felt the love scene was 'aesthetic' enough to overlook the title. I'm sure YongSoo will forever be grateful to the both of you~"

Adnan, on the other hand, wasn't as gleeful as Yao. His eyes burnt with fury, "I need to destroy that film!"

Elizabeta held on to him before he could walk towards the building, "It would be useless for you to retrieve it now because everyone has gone home!" Atleast she had hoped everyone at the building, especially those who belonged to the AV club, had gone home. She wanted that film before Adnan could get his hands on it. She cast a look to Feliks, silently begging him for help.

Picking up on her distress, the Polish senior added, "None of us has, like, nothing to do, so I had made a reservation at a totally rad restaurant." Okay, this was a lie from Feliks but he knew the owner. He was positive that they would get a good table. He then stated, "The owner of this restaurant is from Cyprus and his cuisine is usually dishes from Greece and Turkey. I'm sure you two will enjoy it. Leave the film-destroying for another day and join us for the outing, 'k?"

Adnan seemed to be in deep thought but after some insistence from Heracles (who wanted to try out the restaurant), he finally gave in and decided to go with the group to the restaurant.

Elizabeta was happy to know YongSoo's film would be safe for now; though she knew there was little time for her to get a backup-copy. So she decided that she would visit the AV club as soon as possible. But as she was planning on what she should do, she noticed Adnan and Heracles were walking a little too close. However, she missed Adnan's right hand and Heracles' left hand fisted at their sides, their pinkies linked. The sweet subtle moment wasn't unnoticed by the Quartet, who were walking a few feet behind the other five.

"_**Isn't that nice**_?" Yao announced with a smile, "_**MisterMittens will be happy to see them together**_."

Giving an inquisitive look, Lovino asked, "_**Who the f*ck is MisterMittens**_?" to which Yao responded, "_**Heracles' and Adnan's cute pet cat**_."

This surprised Lovino who stated out loud, "They got a pet cat together before and they weren't a couple?"

Yao smirked at him, "It's called denial. Something you might be very familiar with, aru."

Lovino barked in irritation, "What do you mean by that!"

But before he could pounce on Yao, Arthur grabbed a hold of Lovino's hand, "Let it go, love. He's only teasing," and looked at Yao for confirmation, "right?"

Slightly taken aback, Yao replied, "Y-yes, that's right," and watched Arthur pull Lovino away towards the group infront of them. He turned Matthew and whispered, "_**Did he just call Lovino 'love,' aru**_?"

Matthew was just as surprised but he shook his head, "_**W-We shouldn't jump to conclusions, eh. I'm sure it didn't mean anything when he said that**_." At that moment, however, Lovino shivered because of the cool weather, and Arthur removed and gave the Italian his own jacket. Matthew blinked and added, "_**Or... maybe it did**_."

Yao had suspected that something must have happened between Lovino and Arthur after Antonio had asked 'Lovina' for that date. He watched their interaction as he raised his eyebrow, '_Hmm, after the 'HAH' triangle, it's now the 'LAA' triangle? I wonder how that'll turn out_...'

x

**A/N**: Adnan calling Orlando 'Tulip-Thief'? In the comics, both Turkey & Netherlands fought over the title of 'Tulip Country': the result made them into bitter rivals ... In case you're wondering what 'hah' and 'laa' meant— HAH is for Heracles-Adnan-Hassan, so we're sure you know what LAA is~ ... Here's another lovely cover by **KichiMiangra** which features FrUk pairing

http:/ /www. kichimiangra. deviantart. com/#/d3iumry


	28. Chapter 28

**THE CAFE OF DOUBLE LIVES...**

**Chapter 28**

The group was surprised to see how fast Heracles' and Adnan's relationship was progressing, especially when Adnan –who was drunk at the Cyprian restaurant– decided to test his tonsil polishing skills on Heracles, thereby confirming everyone's notion that he was a closeted "perverted old man". But Heracles felt the relationship was at a standstill; every time Heracles would ask to move in, Adnan would shoot him down (apparently during the misunderstanding involving Hassan, the Turk had moved out of their dormroom. Not being able to move into a single dormroom since the rooms were booked and not interested in moving into another shared dormroom, Adnan decided to rent an apartment in the city).

Adnan was getting tired of Heracles asking the same question over and over. Five days after the Film Festival, during closing time in the cafe's changing-room, he declared, "I think it's too early for us to move in together," while hoping Lovino and Arthur -who were nearby- weren't paying any attention to them.

"Too... early?" Heracles wasn't impressed by that response (considering all the things that they had done so far) and continued in a bored cynical manner, "I've known you long enough to know your pillow smells like a geezer."

"Up yours, half-pint!" Adnan retorted bitterly as he left the room. Heracles soon followed leisurely after him.

Watching them leave, Lovino asked the Brit with doubt, "Are those idiots really in love?" Arthur replied while chuckling, "Heh, in their own messed up way."

Shaking his head in wonder, Lovino began dressing out of his cafe-attire (for this week, it was the milkmaid outfit: a white puffy-sleeved top along with a black bodice, a short orange skirt and a white coloured apron) but he was going to keep wearing the wig, because Arthur and him, were now going to go towards the dance studio.

During the last couple of days, he finally met with the group who were going to part of the Flash-mob-dance. Previously, he had to borrow clothes from Matthew (he had bought women's clothing for himself, since he would regularly hangout with Gilbert as Matilda) which were mostly yellow. Not wanting to be labeled as the 'yellow chick', Lovino asked Elizabeta for clothes. She was more than happy to oblige (after giggling when she found out what colour most of Matthew's clothes were), along with a cute sling bag which had like a million compartments inside to store stuff.

As he was putting on Elizabeta's clothes (he made sure none of them were too loose since baggy t-shirts or baggy pants weren't the preferred attire in dance studios), Lovino felt a pair of eyes on him. He hissed, "Oie, you perv. Quit watching me while I'm changing..."

'_Bollocks, he caught me staring_!' Turning crimson, Arthur looked in the front and became embarrassed for having his hand caught in the cookie jar. Luckily for him, that moment passed by quickly when Yao appeared before them.

Having already changed out of his clothes, Yao stated, "The date's back on, aru."

Arthur and Lovino turned to look at him, asking simultaneously, "What?"

Yao had his cellphone out while dialing a number, "I said the date's back on: Ivan sent me a message stating it would take place this Sunday."

Lovino tried not to show his eagerness, "Is he still taking us to a zoo?"

"I'm not sure– Ivan just sends me cryptic messages like _I'm busy_ whenever I ask him, aru," Yao sighed and then gave an 'excuse me' sign as he talked on the phone, "Hello, Animal Control? Yes, I'm calling to inquire where I can get tranquillizers... No, I'm not joking, aru! I'd like to buy enough to tranquillize a big Russian bear," and walked out of the changing-room

Slightly shocked by what Yao just said, Matthew –who had just entered the room– inquired to the other two, "I'm guessing the date in back on?" When he saw them nodding, the violet-eyed man moved towards his locker, "I'm going to give the benefit-of-the-doubt to whatever is going on between Yao & Ivan, and convince myself that when Yao meant big Russian bear: he referred to the actual animal and not Ivan."

Arthur seriously contemplated before replying, "I think it might be the latter."

Lovino had to agree with Arthur– with everything that has been going on, he wouldn't be surprised if Yao decided to shoot tranquillizer-darts at Ivan. While he was thinking about that, he slowly started to think about the date. He had no idea why Ivan would want to arrange a date on a Sunday, instead of a Friday or Saturday. But those things really didn't bother him: what concerned him was the date finally going to take place.

The Italian did realize he had a lot on his plate especially with the recent set of developments; though Antonio bothered him more than Arthur because he wasn't sure how to exactly deal with the Spaniard. This was one of the reasons why he sort of manipulated the situation the last time and asked for the group-date. '_What does it make me for doing that_?'

* * *

Lovino then heard Elizabeta loudly say, "A wuss, wuss, wuss! That's what you are!" and every time, she said the word 'wuss', it felt like arrows were piercing his back one by one. Later, he wondered whether she had special mind-reading abilities and turned to look behind him. Feliks entered the changing-room with Elizabeta following him. It looked like he wanted to escape but she wasn't about to let that happen.

"If one were to open a dictionary and look for the word 'wuss', your picture will be there." She crossed her arms with a disappointed look on her face.

Feliks put his hands on his hips and replied in a sassy tone, "Lizzy, I'd like to invite you in the totally nicest way possible to SHUT IT."

Elizabeta glared at him, "I'll RVSP my invitation to shut it when you grow a pair of balls!"

Sensing the other wouldn't leave him alone, Feliks sighed, "What do you want me to do when the person in question isn't even here?"

"When he comes back, will you do some thing about it?" Her voice contained a bit of hope as she relaxed her stance.

"I don't know. This will, like, take time to resolve..." Then Feliks wore a serious expression while speaking, "And Elizabeta, I'm warning you: if I find out you totally stuck your nose like some busy-body, I swear I'll never forgive you."

The Hungarian looked like she got slapped when he said those things and it seemed like she wasn't sure what to do next when Feliks moved past her. But she quietly left the room, presumably to follow after the senior.

Silence flooded the room as Lovino, Arthur and Matthew stared incredulously at the now-empty-space before the Italian asked, "Wha-what the f*ck was that all about?"

"I'm sure it has something to do with Orlando," Matthew, taken aback as well, answered while he was dressing out of his cafe-attire, "Eversince the major blowout that occurred between them, Feliks has been out-of-sorts."

A look of realization dawned upon Lovino's face. The trio began to recall that incident which took place days back -

_The employees were preparing for their shift when they saw Feliks approaching the main cafe-hall, saying, "No! That isn't, like, what I want." _

_Orlando followed him with a bunch of sketches in his hands, replying, "You didn't even take a proper look at them," and extended them towards him._

_But instead of looking, Feliks took the sketches from Orlando's hand and threw them in the air. As the papers fell to the ground, he stated, "I've, like, seen enough to know they are subpar level. This maybe a Fantasy cafe but I DO have standards," and then huffed at Orlando, "Showing me such mediocre work- do you seriously want me to start PMSing right now, DO YOU!"_

_That statement sounded wrong on so many levels considering it was uttered by a man but since this was concerning Feliks, everyone took it as a natural occurrence. _

_The group was curious to know what exactly set him off this time, so they bent down to grab whatever drawing sketches that had come closest to them. What they saw was incredibly beautiful designs of various cosplay costumes- inf act, if they had to rate them, they would all unanimously give 11 out of 10. Soon, they came to the realization that Feliks was doing all of this on purpose. For the past few days, he had been scrutinizing and snapping at Orlando: was it because he was related to Antonio that Feliks had the desire to pick on him or was he deliberating trying to make Orlando cross with him or was it something else all together? They couldn't come to any other conclusions- they knew if Feliks had shown this type of behaviour to any other person, they would definitely be riled up._

_Of course, the final thing which convinced them that the bulling was evident was when Feliks threw Orlando's designs right infront of the others. The employees could see it nothing less than someone else's art being torn mercilessly down to shreds. One would've thought a fellow designer mocking his peer would sting, but instead Orlando (known for his neat-freak-tendencies) quickly picked up the sketches, which would've been a funny sight if not for the present situation._

_Later –after getting all the sketches in record speed– Orlando answered with a solemn expression, "I'll try my best to make the designs to suit to your tastes." This was how the Dutchman always approached him: never once did he get angry nor frustrated at Feliks' behaviour._

_The group often wondered whether Orlando had smoked some of his weed or was tripped out on something to have such a serene reaction towards the abuse which Feliks was giving him- later on, they began to marvel at how calm and composed he was._

_That's not to say Feliks didn't looked ticked off when Orlando never rise to the bait nor involved himself in an argument. In the end, even though Feliks was the owner, he threw a minor hissy fit and walked out of the cafe._

* * *

Mulling over the incident between Feliks and Orlando, Lovino stated, "That spiky-haired lug hasn't been visiting the cafe, has he?"

"Bella and him were at the Holy Trinity House, so maybe that's one of the the reason why he hasn't recently been coming here," Putting his clothes on, Matthew answered, "Gilbert mentioned Antonio and Francis were there too but they probably had arrived back yesterday night."

Matthew's answer would've confused Lovino, hadn't he been vaguely informed what exactly the Holy Trinity House was. Apparently, it was Antonio's, Francis' and Orlando's huge family Lake House where their families would visit the relatives who came from various parts of the world whenever family gatherings were held.

Of course, the Lake House wasn't really called that– Arthur had given it that nickname because the three families were religious with Antonio's family taking the first place. He had once stated he had visited it from time to time when he was dating Francis. He had observed the Bonnefoys weren't so fanatical considering they were able to accept their son's bisexual orientation (but that didn't mean the rest of the relatives wasn't appalled whenever Francis flaunted it in front of them).

"The Holy Trinity House?" Arthur shook his head as if to wipe off a bad memory from his mind, "The only good thing which came out of visiting it was meeting Henrique."

Now Lovino was confused, "Who is Henrique?"

When he saw Matthew giving Arthur a sideway glance, he became increasingly curious as Arthur enquired with a scrutinizing yet a surprised expression, "You've never heard of Henrique?" Lovino shook his head, not sure what to expect. However, in the end, he was completely baffled when the Brit later replied without any hint of apprehension, "Henrique Carriedo is Antonio's older brother"

"Bro-bro-brother?" Lovino stared wide-eyed at them, fairly certain Antonio had failed to mention such a detail during all those times that they hung out together but soon took notice of something, "Why does he and the Spanish bastard have different surnames?"

This time, Matthew had answered with the apprehension missing from Arthur, "Gilbert mentioned it was decided each son carry the surnames of the respective parent- so Henrique carries his father's name while Antonio's carries his mother's."

Arthur added with a shrug, "That's the official story," and this intrigued the Italian even more but Matthew –presumably not wanting to talk about that topic anymore– quickly declared, "Well, I for one am glad Orlando had gone there." With that declaration, Lovino was unable to get his answers because Arthur's attention was now focused elsewhere since the violet-eyed man actually looked relieved.

With his curiosity piqued, the Brit asked, "Why would you feel like that?"

"Whenever Orlando fails to meet with with Feliks, he comes to the salon to be around Bella: even though they fight a lot, he finds his sister's presence to be comforting." Matthew sighed before continuing, "However, when he sees me, he just comes straight to inquire what is going on the cafe... I can't even begin to tell you how many times he has nearly blown my cover to the other hairstylists." He later questioned the duo, "Did you know he kept sending me tulips to deliver to Feliks?"

Arthur was slightly surprised and replied, "Those were for Feliks? I had assumed Orlando was trying to court you when I saw him giving you those flowers."

"Eh? Whatever made you think that?" Now it was Matthew's turn to be surprised, "I might be well-acquainted with Orlando since he's my mentor's brother but that's it."

Lovino then gave his input, "When I saw you carrying those red tulips, I thought they were from Potato Bastard#2."

"No, if Gilbert were to send me flowers, he would definitely select cornflowers, not tulips," while Matthew said that a thought crossed his mind, '_Instead of calling him Potato Bastard#2, isn't it just easier to refer to him as Gilbert? Does him being mad at Ludwig for some reason, automatically make him transfer his spite to the brother_?' His thoughts were interrupted when the Brit spoke up.

"Cornflowers, huh?" Arthur had an inquisitive expression before saying, "While we're on the topic of the supposedly 'awesomest' man: what exactly is going on between you two?"

Even Lovino was curious about it because Matthew hung out with Gilbert as 'Matthew, the hairstylist' and as 'Matilda, the waitress': the interesting part to the whole thing was it looked like Gilbert had something going on with both 'Dr. Jerkyl' and 'Mr. Hyde.'

Getting his things from the locker, Matthew replied (making sure the onset of a blush coming up on his face wouldn't be visible to the others), "To be honest, I don't know what is the exact relationship I've with Gilbert," and closed his locker door, "One thing I know for sure, it's far more relaxing hanging out with him as myself than as Matilda."

Lovino arranging the wig on his head, "Why? Does he still play the 'I-know-that-you-know' game?"

Matthew gave a small smile, "Every time I let me guard down, he springs different variations upon me."

Feeling bewildered, Arthur stated, "I would've thought that would be exhausting for you but you seem to be enjoying it."

"Like I mentioned before: Gilbert has a huge ego; So, it's fun breaking it down every once-in-awhile," Matthew now wore a dreamy expression, "The look on his face every time he fails to uncover my secret is cute."

Though, the real reason why he liked playing those games was because Gilbert was paying a lot of attention to him (having Alfred –who Matthew had to admit was an 'attention wh*re'– as a brother, had it's drawbacks). Granted it might seem like unwanted attention since Gilbert was hell-bent in trying to uncover the truth and the violet-eyed man should feel anxious about it. But for Matthew, the fact that the crimson-eyed man was spending all of his time on him because he deemed the other's existence important enough felt nice.

Both Lovino and Arthur raised their eyebrows realizing Matthew hadn't yet gotten rid of his passive-aggressive trait (since he still likes messing with Gilbert's mind without overly showing it) before bidding him farewell as they left to go towards the dance studio.

* * *

Since Arthur had invited students from various field in their University, the amount of people (along with those belonging to the dance class) who showed up was quite big; hence, with some assistance from the Dean, a huge dance studio was booked for them to practice.

While riding the bus, Lovino remembered the first time he visited the studio -

_To say Lovino was nervous wouldn't be half the truth. He was absolutely mortified because he still wasn't very confident of his steps. But Arthur had convinced him that since the deadline was approaching soon, he needed to get used to dancing with other students around. He was also beyond embarrassed when Arthur introduced him to the others, "This is Lovina. She will be joining us as my dance-partner. She's special to me, so treat her with care." That statement irked the Italian for obvious reasons, plus he didn't like being thought like he was some delicate porcelain-doll. Suffice to say, instead of being welcomed into the group, Lovino could feel cold stares._

_At first, he tried to convince himself that he was over-reacting, but after a few days of practice, he noticed none of the girls wanted to interact with him. This was surprising for him. Every time Lovino would relax at the college campus grounds, he would be surrounded by girls. He assumed it would be the same here. It wasn't. Of course, at college, he would flirt with the girls but he felt that tactic wouldn't work here since if he ever tried to flirt with any of the girls in the studio while he was in drag, then he would probably be thought of as some 'Italian dyke.'_

_Since Lovino didn't care about conversing with the boys, he was generally alone with Arthur when the Brit wasn't busy with the other dancers. The only other person Lovino conversed with was Kyle Sanders. The reason why he even met the guy was because he was introduced by Arthur as his most beloved person to his cousin-twice-removed. Lovino wanted to elbow Arthur for saying such a thing but he got distracted because even though Kyle was a distant relative, he too had those thick 'trademark' eyebrows._

_During practice, Lovino realized Kyle seemed more accepting towards people and their beliefs. He figured it was because the Australian came from a multicultural society with many different nationalities around him. Even when 'Lovina' was just a stranger to him, Kyle acknowledge 'her' and engaged in conversation. Having such a personality trait, Lovino couldn't shove the guy away just because of his gender. So, they became acquaintances (though Lovino did question whether the politically incorrect Kyle was eccentric or not because he had once shown a picture of his pet koala calling it "the cutest creature" but the Italian could have sworn the animal was wearing an evil smirk; and also for the fact that Kyle classified his religion as "Jedi")._

The Italian snapped himself out of his thoughts when the bus had reached the dance studio. As soon as Arthur and Lovino entered the studio, the Brit had gone straight towards the Dance Studio's changing room so as to change into his dance-attire which was white vest; black tights; and black flat character dance-shoes.

Lovino remembered when he saw that outfit the first time, he wanted to tease Arthur for wearing it but soon realized this was the main attire which most of the male dancers wore while the female dancers wore black leotard; light-pink tights; red kneelength dance skirt; and black character shoes with 1.5-inch heels. Hence it was easy to distinguish the professionals from those who had volunteered for the Flash-mob-dance since they were dressed in whatever they came in.

Immediately when the others saw the group leader enter the room, the dancers started performing the necessary stretches. Arthur and Lovino joined in before the rehearsal began. After awhile the group took their places (Arthur made it a point to pair all the amateurs with those who were dance regulars) and the minute the music started, the group performed their steps.

* * *

While Arthur and Lovino had gone towards the dance studio, Matthew checked his cellphone for any missed calls. Instead of the missed calls, there was about a dozen messages, all going 'I'm dying,' 'I'm disappearing,' 'This thing is going to kill me.'

Normally, Matthew would've been terrified if he saw such messages but knowing who had sent them, he smiled while sighing, '_He does love to exaggerate, doesn't he_?' and then decided to walk to the nearest store to get the necessary items before going to the Beilschmidt's residence.

Upon reaching there, he rang the doorbell and minutes later, the main door opened, revealing a tall blue-eyed blond German.

"Good evening, Ludwig. I wanted see how the patient was doing," Matthew added, although already knowing the situation since it concerned a certain crimson-eyed 'gentleman.'

"Just when you think Gilbert can't get any more troublesome, he does," Ludwig replied as he motioned Matthew to step in. He wore a sheepish look while asking, "If it's alright with you, could you please watch my bruder for sometime. I had earlier promised Feliciano that I'd meet up with him but because Gilbert got the flu so quickly, I had to cancel my plans"

Matthew noted the other looking slightly haggard with bags under his eyes before nodding, "Sure, I don't mind. I figured you probably would like to take some rest after playing Florence Nightingale to Gilbert for this long."

Ludwig showed a wary look, "You know how to pick metaphors well, don't you?" to which Matthew gave a polite smile as he headed towards Gilbert's bedroom.

The violet-eyed man had come to the Beilschmidt's residence enough times to know where Gilbert's room was and upon reaching, he saw yellow tapes covering the door with huge signs saying 'KEEP OUT!' and 'DO NOT ENTER!' Ignoring the warnings, Matthew knocked on the door before entering.

What Matthew saw rivaled the mess which was common in Alfred's room- there were clothes on the floor; the table where the laptop was supposed to be there, looked disorganized with papers arrange haphazardly but what caught Matthew's eye was a blanket that rolled itself resembling a cocoon, on the bed. He figured that's where Gilbert was since he heard groaning which almost sounded like "Mattie if that's you, I hope you bought Beeeeer, cause I want beeeeer."

Clearing his throat, Matthew declared, "Instead of beer, maybe it'll do you some good to drink some water along with your vitamins and medicine."

"Yuck, I ain't gonna take those- I bet they will make me feel worse," Gilbert grumbled while he slowly sat up with the blanket falling down.

Matthew wanted to face palm for two reasons: First, was because Gilbert would rather drink alcohol than medicine to cure his fever and Second, when he saw what Gilbert was wearing- the blue pajama pants were fine but the white long sleeved shirt he was wearing, read 'Want Free Lotion? Pump Here!' and below the message had an arrow pointing to his vital-regions. Matthew raised an eyebrow as he stated, "Nice shirt."

"You think so, too" Gilbert grinned not picking up on the sarcasm that laced Matthew's voice, "I knew you were cool enough to dig this!"

Instead of performing the 'rolling-of-the-eyes' like Lovino, Arthur and Yao would frequently do in a situation like this, Matthew had a lighthearted expression as he humoured Gilbert, "Well, even though I am 'digging' it, I think it's better if you changed cause you smell kind of musty: so, I'm guessing you've been wearing those clothes for awhile."

"Aww, but I don't wanna," Gilbert once again proceeded to wrap himself into the blanket.

Seeing how it might be difficult to stop Gilbert from acting like a 5year old especially since he was suffering from a fever, Matthew replied, "If you do, I swear I make you a batch of pancakes." (he wanted Gilbert to eat something before taking his medicine)

Gilbert slowly poked his head out of his makeshift cocoon, "Will there be maple syrup?" When the other nodded, the crimson-eyed man threw the blanket away from him (almost hitting Matthew in the process), as he was getting out of bed, "You got a deal- I'll meet you in the kitchen."

Matthew left the room and chuckled to himself, '_Never underestimate the power of maple syrup_' while starting to move towards the kitchen.

x

**A/N:** One of the story's subplot would've been spoilt if it was explained earlier why Antonio's surname was Fernandez instead of Carriedo, hence it couldn't be revealed at the beginning ... Arthur giving that nickname to the 3 main families? Spain is mostly Catholic; Netherlands, a former Protestant country but now being one of the most secular countries in WesternEurope; & France is a Republic- here, Antonio's family is Catholic while Francis' & Orlando's is a mixture of Catholics and Protestants.

As a sign-of-gratitude to Canada for sheltering Princess Juliana & her children, during the Nazi occupation of Netherlands in WW2, Netherlands sent over 100,000 tulips [Orlando (Netherlands) sends the flowers to Matthew (Canada) who delivers them to Feliks (Poland): historically inaccurate but hey, it's an AU story ^^] ... The cornflower is the national flower of Germany, because it's said when Queen Louise of Prussia was fleeing Napoleon, she hid her children in a cornflower field & amused them by weaving wreaths from the flowers.

Henrique Carriedo is Portugal [not much is said about Portugal but the original author drew sketches where he looks like Germany expect he's a tanned brunette ... According to history, the formation of Portugal was earlier than the establishment of the Spanish Kingdom, so here Henrique is older than Antonio]

Uwah, it's been awhile, hasn't it? Since you all have been patient, here is a long chapter as a holiday gift... Hope you've a wonderful Xmas & Happy New Year ^_^

_Btw, the material written below is a holiday gift from_ **KichiMiangra**, _so all the credit goes entirely to her (Warning- Borderline nudity) Enjoy~_

This occurs during the course of TCoDL where the Bad-touch-Trio are sitting at a table in the cafe, conversing about what awesome outfits the waitresses should wear. This moved to the topic of Swim suits, which moved onto 'Painted-on Swim Suits' (thanks to Francis).

Antonio: "Mi amigo, that's not practical because they'd wash off in the water..."

Francis: "Tonio, think about it!"

Antonio: "Francis I don't—"

Francis: "NO ANTONIO…. THINK about it!"

[then cue to the panel] http:/ /i4. photobucket. com/albums/y125/Kichi_Flameson/PaintitOn. png

Arthur as 'Aretha' (in the 4th wall breaking comic fashion) sees the thought-bubbles of Antonio's. Knowing the Parisian was the culprit who fed those images to him, Arthur hits Francis with his serving tray and later glares at Antonio who immediately smacks his head on the table due to blood loss via nosebleed.

Gilbert looks off-screen: "Check please."


	29. Chapter 29

**THE CAFE OF DOUBLE LIVES...**

**Chapter 29**

At the dance studio, Lovino was at odds with himself. No matter how much time passed and no matter how many times he practiced the steps, he was still faltering in the dance routine. It stumped him since he had been practicing regularly, yet the fruits of his labour didn't show. It also didn't help that he felt tired as ever, which was why he was thankful when they were given a break.

Sitting at the corner on one of the benches present, the Italian observed his surroundings at the dance studio. Some of the students formed their cliques and chatted amongst themselves. A few others were still performing their steps with Arthur giving them instructions every now and then. He could have joined that group, to try and perfect his moves. But his feet were really sore, so he couldn't be bothered and decided to play 'I spy' with himself.

While Lovino was scanning around, he heard someone say, "Why so pissed off, sheila?"

"Dammit, Kyle! Stop your habit of just randomly popping out of nowhere!" Lovino scowled as he was startled to see the pale green-eyed brunette (with a small adhesive bandage across his nose) sitting next to him. He should've been used to it by now since Kyle did it often but the Aussie always managed to surprise him.

"I've such a habit?" Kyle pretended to be nonchalant, "I didn't notice."

The Italian snorted in contempt but when he heard Kyle again asking 'Lovina' what was earlier bothering her, he mused with a thoughtful expression, "If I wanted, I could get along fine with the boys here but it sure is hard to mingle with the girls. Is because they feel I'm a bad dancer and I am not worthy to be in this troupe?"

Kyle chuckled, "You might not know this information because you're still new to the group but most of the chickie babes here are vying for Arthur's attention." He moved closer to Lovino and whispered, "_**This might not be a secret but Artie always has been partial to the blond blue-eyed types: most of us learnt about it in the most unusual way possible**_."

When Lovino asked for details, Kyle responded, "If I remember clearly, this happened roughly 2 years ago during lunchtime since I recall eating a juicy steak with a nice cold beer in one of the hangouts where college students mostly frequent."

"Oie! When I asked for details, I didn't mean those," Lovino huffed while his patience drew thin.

Kyle paid no need to the fact that his story was taking a slight detour as he continued, "And there I was enjoying my meal when I heard Alfred -who was several seats away, by the way- congratulating Artie and Francis on their new found happiness before declaring he, the "great hero," was Arthur's first love."

'_How does Arthur manage to get himself involved with idiots all the time_.' Lovino didn't know much about Alfred, apart from him being Matthew's brother; nevertheless, he was shocked about this revelation and began to feel sorry for the Brit when he learnt a bit more of his past, "...Who ...does ...that?"

"I know right!" Kyle shook his head while laughing, "I mean, everyone who was present at the moment, couldn't even get surprised over the fact that Arthur was just 'outed' by his ex-boyfriend, because that ex-boyfriend had just loudly stated such a thing to his present-boyfriend and to anyone else who was in a 50-mile radius!"

Lovino, still unable to believe the stunt which the American had pulled, inquired, "I am guessing the other two couldn't take it anymore and the sh*t hit the fan after that?"

However, Kyle once again surprised him by answering, "Actually, Artie was beyond embarrassed and started ranting something about cutting a very important equipment of Alfred's but Francis, on the other hand, was quite calm. Or, at least, it looked like he wasn't stressing about the whole situation." The Aussie then straightened his back to rest against the wall as he turned to watch his peers. "Anyway, after Arthur's major coming-out, most of the girls didn't bother to court him because they knew even though they might be blond and blue-eyed, they wouldn't be in the running because they belonged to the fairer sex. Which is why you are a blessing in disguise."

Lovino couldn't follow what the other was trying to imply, "How do I fit into all of this?"

"Artie introduced you as his 'most beloved person' and you are neither blond nor blue-eyed, plus you're a babe," Kyle proceeded to confuse Lovino even more by declaring, "So, you give them hope that they can score with him."

The Italian first showed a stunned look before saying, "Hold on, even though they're all under the impression that I'm going out with Arthur, they still want to date him?"

Turning to look at Lovina, Kyle raised his eyebrow, '_Does this mean she isn't Artie's chick? I was positive these two were going out_.' He then smiled and showed the three finger salute, "Scout's honour. I swear I ain't lying. Besides, you should know it better than me." When Lovino asked what it was, the Aussie answered, "The quote which most women say- good blokes are either taken or gay. In Artie's case, he was at first gay, now he's not since he's with you."

* * *

Processing what Kyle just shared, Lovino felt his last statement was not true for obvious reasons, but he reasoned there was no point in correcting it. The Italian later asked, "That... gives these girls the excuse to be cold to me?"

"They see you as a threat, and I'm not surprised why," Kyle had a serious expression as he inquired, "Do you remember the 'Musica Extravaganza' when Artie announced he wanted to choose a dance-partner from the crowd?"

Lovino nodded. Of course he did; he was the one who got selected in the end.

Kyle then dropped the bomb, "That wasn't scripted." Hearing him say that, Lovino was shocked and look at him with wide eyes. The Aussie –seeing Lovina's reaction– stated, "Yeah, our sentiments exactly; me and the troupe were stressed out at that time because it was our grades which were hanging on the balance. We had practiced our steps for so many days, but we weren't prepared for such a scenario. So, to have the whole thing ruined by some amateur, would've been the pits." He gave a small laugh before continuing, "Imagine our surprise when we found out you actually knew our choreography. I guess it was expected of Artie to do something so unpredictable at the last minute."

'_After what I've been through and hearing this, I wonder if there is anything else that Arthur hasn't confided in me yet_...' and this mindset of the Italian continued when he heard Kyle saying, "Though Artie rarely dances with a partner, to be honest, before selecting you. I was sure he was going to select Francis since he was walking towards him. We all thought he was using this event to get back together with him."

That revelation actually made more sense to Lovino, '_Could it be he was originally going to choose Francis but because I was near Antonio, he had to improvise_?'

Lovino then stopped thinking about it when Kyle finally stated, "However, after seeing how Artie interacts with you, I guess that wasn't the case. So don't expect to be making friends with the girls anytime soon."

Seeing Lovina's grumpy expression and hearing her mumble, "Fine, who needs to be near those back-stabbing b*tches," the Aussie became curious.

"So, you aren't going out with Artie?" He asked.

Not paying attention to the change in expression on the other's face, Lovino shook his head, "At present, no."

Kyle immediately took Lovino's hands into his own and said, "That's ace! Do you want to go out with me?"

'_What the f*ck?_!' That was the only statement which was going on in Lovino's head. This was why he didn't want to interact with the boys. For some reason, the Italian seemed to attract a lot of male suitors when he was dressed as Lovina. Though, in Kyle's case, he wasn't really sure because the Aussie had a playful attitude who had no problems taking jabs at himself or the others for that matter, just for laughs.

Before Lovino could give his usual rude curt response, he heard someone interrupt, "Kyle Sanders, are you trying to hit on Lovina?" and turned to see Arthur standing in front of them, glaring at Kyle. Apparently, the Brit decided to stop teaching the group he was with when he saw his relative was getting a little too comfortable with Lovino.

Giving a cheeky smile as he got caught for cosying up with his cousin's crush, Kyle slowly released his hold from 'Lovina' before standing up, "I'm not trying to hit on Lovina. I AM hitting on her since she said she was single," then turned to give a wink at the Italian, "If you ever get tired of Stuffy Pommy pants here, come find me, ya? Ta!"

"Kyle! Continue with that attitude and I swear I will give you a reason to really keep wearing that ridiculous bandage!" Arthur growled out at his cousin who was walking away without a care in the world, clearly showing to the duo that the Brit's threat had no effect on him whatsoever.

Lovino sighed as he thought grimly, '_Porca vacca! Right now I'm like one of those girls in the shojo-manga books which Kiku had shown me a few times: one guy likes someone, then all the guys like the same person! On the other hand, with all of this male attention, it's almost like being compared to a b*tch-in-heat and that's NOT a nice comparison!_!' while Arthur started ranting with a grouchy disposition, "Everytime I introduce someone to my family they get hit on: first Francis, now you—"

That intrigued Lovino who got up and interrupted, "Your brothers hit on mega-pervert? I thought they preferred the Forest instead of the Snake."

Hearing Lovino choose such euphemisms, Arthur stopped his angry rant. He opened and closed his mouth for awhile before declaring, "I don't think women worldwide would appreciate their lady parts being called the 'Forest'."

Lovino shrugged and asked, "Is 'Bald Eagle' a more suitable term?"

"Aren't bald eagles and snakes sworn enemies?" Arthur never made it a habit to answer a question with a question, but the way Lovino was able to spout words without considering he might be crude, amazed the emerald-eyed blond.

Reaching the end of his patience, Lovino wondered why they were having this conversation as he finally stated, "Fine! The Rose then– since most claim the lady parts sometimes looks like a 'Full Blown Rose'."

After that statement, Arthur felt he would never be able to look at his national flower the same way again.

He heard Lovino once again repeat his previous question, so he replied, "Just my eldest brother. Ian once stated he would go gay for Francis," and later wore a sore look, "And the Bloody Frog then had the nerve to flirt with him right in front of me– he's goddamn tosser who doesn't know the meaning of the word restraint!"

* * *

Staring at Arthur who now wore a melancholy expression on his face, Lovino remembered what Kyle just shared. He sighed. Lovino had always had a suspicion that Arthur still had some lingering feelings for the Parisian. After a while, the Italian asked, "Do you miss Francis at all?"

Immediately Arthur responded with a stutter, "D-don't be ridiculous! W-why should I miss that lecherous git when I have you." As soon as Arthur said that, an awkward silence took over them as the Brit reminisced the night after the group date was set -

_Even though he knew he had a head start over Antonio since the other didn't know of the Italian's secret, Arthur decided to lay his cards on the table and speak candidly about his feelings to Lovino. So, when it was time to head home after the cafe shift, Arthur had requested Lovino to walk with him saying he had something important to discuss._

_As they walked through one of the barely crowded streets which was used for practicing their dance routine earlier, Arthur made sure there was nobody-in-sight before finally starting to speak slowly, "I know you regard me as friend but I wanted to let you know I regard you as much more. I'm not sure what it is because I'm fairly confused myself. All I can say is my feelings for you are more complex than those feelings I would've for a friend-" When Arthur was confiding in Lovino, he realized he wasn't exactly forcing the other to go out with him like initially wanted to._

_But while Arthur was talking, he was surprised by what happened next. Lovino started freaking out. His limit of understanding was slowly breaking. He then immediately sat on the asphalt ground and was now cross-legged with his arms crossed as well._

_"Not you too!" Lovino finally stated with a frustrated voice. The Italian looked up at him. "Ever since I entered the cafe, I feel like my life has been turned upside down, and I can't tell my left from my __right!" He later pouted, "Up until now, I've been with girls, and let me tell you, I was good in wooing them; I had scores of chicks crushing on me. Now, it's only boys!"_

_Still slightly taken aback by Lovino's reactions, Arthur quickly pull himself together and chuckled. In a teasing tone, he asked, "Dames flocking towards you? Aren't you patting yourself too much on the back."_

_Lovino promptly flipped the bird at him, "Vaffanculo! I can have how much ever MENTAL MASTURBATION I want, after what I'm going through and being amongst those who are either—" he then proceeded to count with his fingers, "Boy'sLove-Crazy; a piano addict; behaves as lazy as a cat; a perverted old man; becomes infatuated with cute stuff; likes playing mind-games; a neat-freak Lolicon; and acts like a valley-school-girl. I thought you were the only sane one left!"_

_The Brit narrowed his eyes at Lovino, "So, now you've deemed me insane for professing my feelings towards you?" but slightly thankful the Italian didn't think that he was insane for believing in fairies and the occult._

_"Well, I guess I should've figured something was off with you when you decided to buy the 'smashing pink tunic dress'~" Lovino once again mimicked Arthur's accent, which immediately caught the Brit's attention since his temper -which was threatening to erupt within the Italian- sort of calmed down quickly after he said that; but it still didn't please Arthur because Lovino said those dreaded four words yet again._

_"You're never going to let that one go, will you?" He frowned when he saw Lovino teasingly shaking his head. After a moment, he noticed the Italian looked a little troubled. _

_He sat next to the other and asked gently, "Is there something-else that is on your mind?"_

_Lovino was quiet for awhile before becoming misty-eyed, "My only brother is getting married and I can't be his 'Best Man.'" He began to reveal to Arthur about how Feliciano and his fiancé had announced to Ludwig's family that they would be getting married. This was surprisingly accepted by everyone. However, Ludwig's grandmother requested a traditional marriage to be held._

_This piqued Arthur's curiosity, "Traditional? With two guys?"_

_Lovino nodded, "That was what she wanted since Ludwig was the youngest grandson. She's hoping to make this whole wedding as memorable as possible with Ludwig being the 'groom' and Feliciano being the 'bride,' even though they'll both be dressed up in suits. Talk about messed up and unfair, huh? Why couldn't that blond beefcake be the 'bride' instead?"_

_Even though it was mentioned both parties would be in suits, Arthur couldn't help concocting an image of Ludwig wearing a bridal gown. Luckily for him, Lovino distracted him by saying, "They had to select two grooms-men and bridesmaids. Potato bastard, of course, had selected his brother and his best friend Kiku. Feliciano, on the other hand, couldn't choose me since bridesmaids are usually filled by girls. So, in the end, he had selected Elizabeta and XiaoMei." _

_"If I really wanted to be a grooms-man, I could've requested it but I don't want to be Potato Bastard's Best Man. Gilbert can have that honour, for all I care," Lovino huffed. Arthur shot him an incredulous look. The Italian sighed, "I know what you're thinking. Even though we're going to be family, I still have something against Potato Bastard. But DAMMIT, it's gonna take me some time to get used to the whole thing."_

_Finally, Lovino tsked as he said, "You know what the sad thing is? I feel all the problems that I'm facing right now would instantly disappear if I was a girl. I wouldn't have worry about my sexuality when I'm being courted by guys, and I could stand next to my only sibling at his wedding as the Maid-of-Honour, instead of the honour going to Elizabeta."_

_They both then remained silent sitting on the asphalt before Arthur stated, "I'm sorry for burdening you with more problems by sharing my feelings with you... I just felt I couldn't keep lying to you anymore," then he became slightly frustrated, "Besides, I had a feeling if I didn't make my move, Antony would one up me."_

_He saw Lovino raising one of his eyebrows up when he had anglicized the Spaniard's name. Lovino stared at him for awhile before asking, "Is that what has been bugging you_?_ Can that be one of the reasons why you've been trash-talking Antonio all this time?"_

_The Brit closed his eyes to hide the guilt in them as he spoke, "I know you've some difficulty in __trusting people, and for me to do something so low just for my own personal benefit won't put me into your good books, but I have always let opportunities slip by before. Hence, I decided to do whatever is necessary so as not to miss my chance anymore."_

_Lovino probably didn't want him to feel guilty because he later spoke up, "Well, I wouldn't exactly called what you did as 'low,' because I never gave a damn about what others thought about Antonio. So, you can trash-talk him as much as you want. It won't make much of a difference to me."_

_Arthur feigned a look of disappointment, "Blow me, I don't know whether I should be upset or not that you just told me point-blank that our opinions don't matter much to you."_

_The Brit realized his mistake as Lovino retorted, "You bastard! You got balls to say such a thing!" Giving an exasperated look, Lovino continued, "The very reason why this date situation keeps happening is because of all of you! If I didn't really care about your opinions, I would've told Antonio the truth a long time ago!"_

_Arthur quickly apologized and replied, "If you telling that Spanish twat the truth would make him back-the-hell-up, then by all means, I would certainly encourage you to do so but Lovino, it's just—"_

_"Yeah, yeah, I know- cafe's secret will be out; cross-dressing is looked down upon; fear of ridicule by the FAG trio," the Italian huffed in indignation as he rolled his eyes._

_Hearing the word fag, Arthur wasn't sure -considering his circumstances- whether to be insulted or not, because he was sure Lovino wasn't referring to a cigarette when he said that._

_But just as Arthur was angsting, Lovino quickly added, "Oie, don't get all pissy now. When I said 'fag', I was just referring to them by their initials: __**F**__rancis, __**A**__ntonio and __**G**__ilbert..." Noticing how late it was getting, he got up from his place while telling him, "Now that that is settled, concerning the issue where you're asking me to reciprocate your feelings... Unfortunately for you, I honestly don't know what I'm feeling... So, at this moment, I don't have the answer that you are looking for."_

_The Brit also got up and looked at Lovino with a small understanding smile, "It's alright. I'll wait 'til you find your answer," and they both proceeded to leave._

While Arthur was thinking about that, he saw Lovino's expression which was mixture of, 'I'm still not ready...' and, 'A*shole, pressuring me won't help!' Not wanting to hear any form of rejection from the Italian just as yet and wanting to draw out the possibility that Lovino might become his for as long as possible, Arthur informed in a loud tone to everyone that the break was over.

So Arthur went towards the dance-troupe with Lovino following him and resumed their rehearsal, practicing 'til it was time to go home.

* * *

Meanwhile at the Beilschmidt residence, after Matthew had finished making the pancakes topped with maple syrup (which he had bought from the store), he began to worry. Gilbert was taking too long to come to the kitchen, '_Is it because he doesn't have the energy to walk anymore_?'

Putting the necessary items on a bed-and-lap tray, Matthew decided to take it towards Gilbert's room instead. Upon reaching the room, he knocked on the door a couple of times. There was no reply. When he opened the door himself, he realized why the silver-haired man was taking his time. The room which was a mess before, now looked like a tornado had gone through it. There were even more clothes thrown around in the room. Looking up at the ceiling fan, he saw a sock was hanging there. But before Matthew could even question how that item managed to get up over there, his voice got stuck in his throat.

Standing a few feet away from him was Gilbert wearing nothing but a pair of blue trunks. Apparently the silver-haired man had decided to ransack his whole wardrobe to find something suitable to change into, and when he found what was he was looking for, he had shed the remaining of his clothes. Though that wasn't what caught Matthew's attention; even after hanging out with Gilbert for so long, Matthew hadn't noticed how lean his body was. It shouldn't have been a surprise to him since the other had once mentioned that he enjoyed playing football, tennis, and basketball. The thing was Gilbert always wore clothes in such a way, it made it hard for others to guess his physique.

As Gilbert proceeded to put a shirt over his head, he caught sight of Matthew standing near the door. Not passing this rare opportunity to flaunt his body, Gilbert held the shirt in his hand, turned around and did the 'Javelin-Thrower' pose while wiggling his eyebrows playfully, "Hot stuff, dontcha think!"

Seeing it in the flesh, Matthew couldn't help but agree with Gilbert's statement. That taut body was definitely a product of years playing his favourite sports. Hell would freeze over before Matthew would give Gilbert the satisfaction of making his ego even bigger. So, he hummed, "I concur. With that fever of yours, you look as hot as Rudolph."

"Ru-Rudolph? As in Rudolph, the reindeer? What's so hot about Rudolph?" With a confused expression, Gilbert watched Matthew as he pointed sideways with his head.

Following the direction in which Matthew had pointed, Gilbert saw himself staring at the mirror. He liked what he was seeing concerning his body, but his face was a whole different matter. Due to flu, he had a red nose and because he had haphazardly removed his shirt, his hair was sticking in weird directions, almost resembling antlers. With a pout, Gilbert mumbled, "Below the belt! That's so not cool of you to call me that," while proceeding to wear the new shirt to hide his embarrassment, and making sure his hair was in place.

With Gilbert's previous shirt, Matthew was slightly appalled but now, he wanted to laugh out loud. The new shirt read, 'I'm So Awesome, I'm jealous of Myself'. He made it a point to go shopping with the silver-haired man the next time.

Before Matthew could comment on the shirt, Gilbert already slipped on a pair of pants and slipped into the bed, still pouting about the Rudolph comment. Matthew knew that when Gilbert wasn't in the best of health, he would throw temper tantrums which was probably why Ludwig had seemed so haggard when the violet-eyed man saw him earlier. Sensing a temper tantrum might emerge soon, he decided to bring the tray to the other, hoping an full stomach might pacify the silver-haired man.

Gilbert gobbled the pancakes as soon as the tray was within his reach and while he was snarfing the food down his throat, he stated with a mouthful, "Ouhf guesshf whatf," and gulped the rest of the food, "that scary Russian dude just informed us that the date is gonna take place this Sunday!" When Matthew asked how Ivan was able to contact him, Gilbert declared with a slight shudder, "He... sort of mind-tricked me, Tonio and Franny into giving our cellphone numbers to him."

Matthew knew there was there was something else that the other wanted to add, so he asked, "You're telling me about the date because...?" Gilbert replied saying that he just wanted to make conversation but when he saw the playful glint in Gilbert's eyes, Matthew thought, '_Here it comes. Brace yourself_.'

"Aaaannnnd, lately, Matilda has not been finding the time to spend with yours truly! Everyone wants a piece of the Awesome, so I wonder why the unbelievable is happening."

Matthew tried not to show any visible face contortions as he thought, '_That's a no brainer- you make it more difficult for me to be in my cafe avatar than as myself_...'

Gilbert then added with an innocent expression, "So, I thought maybe you could pass the message to her."

This time, it was hard for Matthew not to roll his eyes at sheer absurdity of that statement, but he remained unperturbed and just showed a poker face, '_Hmm, you didn't think of the possibility that Matilda would be the first one to know about it? 'She' does work with 'YanYan' of all people._ H_onestly, your logic doesn't make sense most of the time_...'

However, curiosity crept up upon him as he inquired, "It has come to my attention that you've been seeking my sister out a lot lately. Why do you want to spend so much time with her?"

Matthew had always claimed that it was easy for him to read Gilbert; now was of those times which was an exception. The silver-haired man was wearing a stoic face when he claimed, "I find it extremely relaxing whenever she is around."

'_I'm on pins-and-needles whenever I am dressed as Matilda, and you say you feel RELAXED during that time?_!' Matthew thought, but just stared at the other. This would also be one of the times where he wished his curiosity didn't get the better of him because when he asked what the other meant by that, Gilbert responded with a small cheeky smile, "Let's just say, I get a kick out of teasing her."

Matthew could almost hear thunderstorms going above his head. Gilbert had basically said that the time he spent with Matilda was something he found amusing.

'_In other words, what we were doing -up until now- wasn't a game involving two people, but where I was being jerked around by him_'. Matthew didn't even bother taking note of the pun he made since he begun to see things red when he realized Gilbert just saw the comedy in that situation and nothing else.

Trying not to lose his self-control, Matthew noticed Gilbert's tray and decided to change the topic, "Eating pancakes isn't enough. You need to take your medicine and vitamins."

It seemed Gilbert was hell-bent in making the violet-eyed man ticked off because he replied, "I don't wanna! You can't make me take them!" while showing he would definitely throw a tantrum if Matthew persisted with that topic.

That childish reply was like the straw which broke the camel's back. Matthew's eyebrow twitched.

'_Oh that's it! I'm done playing Mr. Nice Guy_!'

He responded in a calm collected voice, "Fine, have it your way," and quietly left the room.

Gilbert wondered where he went but when he saw Matthew re-entering the room with a thermometer, he figured that the other must have gone to the medicine cabinet to get it. '_Phew, I don't mind using that instead of taking my meds_.' He soon realized he would be eating his words when Matthew spoke.

"Because you won't take your medicine, I'll need to check your body temperature to see whether you are in the clear or not," As Matthew said that, Gilbert would also later realize that it would've been better for him to have gone with option number 1 because Matthew added, "And since you don't have an ear thermometer, the temperature has to be measured rectally."

"WHAT_?_! Why in Gott's name, do you have to do that!" Gilbert held the blanket protectively to his chest, wondering what on earth was going on.

"Ludwig left you in my care, so I've to make sure your illness doesn't worsen during my watch," With an unseemly aura surrounding him, Matthew then calmly stated, "Besides, taking a Rectal temperature is the most accurate way of measuring body temperature."

Gilbert, with an almost pleading expression on his face, asked, "But why can't the temperature be taken orally like normal?" to which Matthew replied with equally unfazed reaction, "That can't be done because if one needs to take an oral temperature, one mustn't have had anything to eat or drink within the last 20 minutes. You just ate right now."

"So, let's just wai—" but before Gilbert could plead anymore, Matthew came closer with the now-seemingly-harmful-thermometer and interrupted him.

"Don't assume that I would like to spend my time unproductively. Now turn around, pull your pants down and bend over."

After a lot of crying and begging from Gilbert (which almost sounded like 'I am not ready to give up my ass virginity'), he was finally able to calm Matthew down and convinced him to put the thermometer away when the silver-haired man swore he would gladly take his vitamins and medicine instead.

Now drinking his medicine and with the glass of water close to his mouth, Gilbert wondered what had set Matthew off. Unfortunately for him, he wouldn't find the answer to his question because Ludwig had entered the room soon after he was done with whatever he wanted to do. Matthew, in turn, left as soon as his brother had returned.

x

**A/N:** Kyle is Australia (Since not much is mentioned about his character [except for the author mentioning the list of potential names; which are Kyle, Jett & Ralph: is a pale-green-eyed brunette with a hairstyle similar to Austria's except he has two ahoges instead of one, and wears an adhesive bandage across his nose. Australia also owns a pet koala which wears an evil smirk but he doesn't seem to notice that, calling it cute instead ^0^], Kyle here is based on the stereotypes of Australians: eccentric, never politically correct; generally accepting towards various ethnicities; not wary of strangers; & isn't afraid of making fun of themselves).

Ian is Scotland (Again not much is said about his character- however according to history, France & Scotland have always sided with each other [Auld Alliance between these two nations is considered as the longest Alliance in the world], hence couldn't resist mentioning a Scotland/France pairing here)

Arthur still persistent about his feelings for Lovino? England is notorious for having unrequited feelings- just trying to stay as canon as possible in a non-canon setting XD [It's probably obvious that you all are now thinking: "Always going against the tide *shakes head*", but it can't be helped. If you want to know why, then keep reading to find out v^-*] ... Anglicizing Antonio's name? It's just to show that Arthur even goes to the extent of refusing to say the Spanish version of that name, just so as to insult him ... Arthur speaking badly about Antonio? This is is to draw parallel to the _Hetalia_ series where England in the late 1500's, was jealous of Spain and hence decided to use any means necessary to dethrone Spain from the seat of power- in this case, making sure to spoil Antonio's image as much as possible so as to reduce any chances of the Spaniard having a special place in Lovino's heart [Arthur's being too mean? Well, what do you expect- England was a pirate ^^].

Everyone seems to be falling for Lovino? ^0^ Apart from taking a 'tongue-in-cheek' approach to the usual shojo manga cliche- in the _Hetalia_ series, most of the nations wanted to conquer the younger Vargas brothers: here Lovino as Lovina seems to subconsciously charm almost anyone with whom he become friends with (in other words, Lovino provokes people into having feelings for him~) ... Surely you know who Romano was describing but here's the list anyway: Hungary-Austria-Greece-Turkey-China-Canada-Netherlands-Poland ... ^.^' Ahem, hope you've a slight idea what 'Snake', 'Forest', 'Bald Eagle' and 'Full Blown Rose' stands for (trying to pass Lovino as a PG-16 crude person is hard XD)

Football, tennis & basketball are the popular sports in Germany- so, it made sense that Gilbert would be into them... FYI, Rectal temperature is the most accurate reading for the measurement of body temperature, next comes ear temperature, then oral temperature and last axillary temperature... Matthew making Gilbert cry? This is almost similar to the _Hetalia_ strip where Canada made America cry.

Once again, sorry for the late update- to make up for the absence, hope you enjoyed this long chapter


	30. Chapter 30

**THE CAFE OF DOUBLE LIVES...**

**Chapter 30**

After Yao had announced to the others that the next group-date would be taking place this Sunday, he had become increasingly agitated. The reason being the main topic of discussion taking place in the cafe during the past few days involved Ivan and guessing what type of date he would present.

Now, it was expected that anything concerning the Russian would ruffle Yao's feathers but the thing was, his co-workers were the ones who were slowly testing his patience. Everytime they opened their mouths to talk about the date, they would end up calling Ivan an 'ogre', 'bear', 'monster' or the very popular term 'psycho'. Though, in the past, the others had once or twice referred Ivan as something other than his name, the fact that they are now doing it often, didn't still well with Yao.

Pondering about it in the changing-room, he frowned, '_Aiyaa, what I am experiencing at this moment almost feels like some privilege -which solely belonged to me at the beginning- has now been taken away_...'

Yao then immediately shook his head, convincing himself that he was having these thoughts because his body was undergoing a lot of stress these past few days due to wearing the _specific _outfit for that week. He was certain that the rest of his co-workers felt the same way too.

So, Saturday morning in the changing-room before the cafe was open for business, 'YanYan' and the other 'waitresses' were honestly glad the week was almost coming to an end. That was because they absolutely HATED the milkmaid outfit (which they now finished dressing into).

It wasn't due to the fact that it was short nor was it the ruffles underneath the orange-coloured skirt which bothered them. It was the damn bodice which dug into their waists that they truly loathe. Not meant to be worn by men, the bodice gave the 'waitresses' the hour-glass-figure which most women would be envious of. Sure, a bodice is a less painful version of a corset but wearing it everyday, took a huge toll on them since it wasn't very easy for them to breathe steadily when they were busy working at a fast pace.

The only person who actually enjoyed wearing the outfit was Elizabeta: the true _maiden_ of the cafe. Hence they found her absence slightly odd. She along with Roderich were late which they also found odd because Elizabeta mentioned he had gotten a car yesterday– so by default, that meant they should be the first ones there for their shift.

However they couldn't ponder over it any further because they all heard a strange noise coming from outside.

Under the assumption that Feliks had already opened the main cafe entrance door, Yao –while making sure he had his wig on straight– was the first to ask, "Is that a customer's ringtone, aru?"

"I don't think so." Matthew replied, knowing fully what it was since he had heard that particular sound a couple of times to know it was authentic enough, "It sounded more like it came from the Kitchen," then gave a wary look "or the Closet..."

What Matthew referred as the 'Closet' was actually one of the storerooms present at the café. Feliks had decided to convert the smaller of the two storerooms into a mini-tailoring-shop where he could design all the café-attires.

Normally, none of the 'waitresses' liked visiting there. Their reaction to that room was akin to the reaction one would possess when making a decision to visit a sausage making industry (one would rather not see how the sausages are made, otherwise one might lose their appetite). It unnerved them to see long pieces of frilly garments, tassels, lace material, glittering cloth pieces etc lying around or hanging from the ceiling. They honestly felt their manhood started to shrink whenever they visited it, rather than wearing the finished product. Hence, this was one of the reasons why whenever the 'waitresses' entered the cafe– they rather use the backdoor situated in the kitchen than the one situated in the closet.

But wanting to see whether his suspicion was correct, Matthew decided to leave the changing-room with the other three waitresses following him soon after.

* * *

Meanwhile at the closet, Feliks -drinking some aspirin- grimaced, '_Urgh, I had, like, skipped the icecream because I was scared that I totally would end up getting love-handles. But with this headache, I should've gone along with it_.' As he sat near the drawing board, he was nursing a terrible hangover after drinking alot of Starka the previous night (Feliks had actually wanted to drown his sorrows in a bucket of chocolate icecream).

He did this because he really couldn't get any inspiration about designing outfits for any of his projects at the University. And the person responsible for his slump was sitting right infront of him.

After Orlando had come from visiting the family Lake House, he decided to go straight to cafe to see Feliks. The Polish blond tried to play off this meeting by showing to him that there was a lot of work to do, so there couldn't be any idle chitchat.

Orlando, on the other hand, thought differently, "Feliks, I am trying to understand what's going on but you are not making this easy for me. Did I do something to make you so anxious?" He felt this was Déjà vu because they had a similar conversation before but the tiny blond had artfully dodged the subject, so he couldn't follow up on it. This time, he wanted to make sure to atleast start the flow of that conversation once again.

Though at the same time, Orlando wanted to start rearranging the place. Since he hadn't visited the cafe for sometime, Feliks -who doesn't really clean up after himself- hadn't bothered to keep the Closet tidy. This resulted in switching on Orlando's 'neat-streak' button.

But before Orlando could get a chance to do either of them, at that moment, Feliks who was having a hard time listening to what the Dutchman had to say, had no problems catching up on that unusual sound outside. So, as if he was in a trance, he got up from his seat and moved towards the door.

'Isn't there something better you can do than run away?' was what Orlando really wanted to say but he too heard that noise, hence he became curious as well and followed the Polish blond.

When Feliks saw his employees entering the corridor, he asked, "Did ya guys hear that too? Me thinks it came from the kitchen."

The 'waitresses', in response, sighed, '_Thank god, it came from the kitchen_...'

Orlando noticed the sigh from the group but he was surprised that Feliks –who looked like he was suffering from ADD before– was able to notice it too.

"What's up with the 'Phew!' Don't tell me you just, like, expressed a sigh of relief for not entering the closet." After Feliks huffed that line, he pointed at himself and the Dutchman, "Me and Orlando totally create miracles every time we enter that room"

Making that statement, Orlando wondered whether Feliks knew that he was insinuating something as he blushed a little before giving a small cough to disguise his embarrassment.

Not understanding why they were still in the corridor, Arthur gripped, "Not that I don't appreciate a well-placed innuendo or word-play for that matter but don't you think it's just better to go see what the deuce is in the kitchen, instead of fannying around here."

Yao smirked after hearing those last three words and then whispered to Matthew, "**_I might not know much about British Slang but Arthur did say that in the feminine sense, right_**?"

"_**It's just an expression, Yao**,_" Matthew was shaking this head while saying that. Though when he saw Arthur crossing his arms and tapping his foot like how a girl would do when she was impatiently waiting for her date, he later stated, "**_or, it's the outfit- one of the two_**."

Lovino was just as impatient as Arthur. But unlike the Brit, he decided to go check out what the commotion was all about without waiting for the others. In the end, he become abit shocked when his curiosity was finally answered. The Italian was sure the rest of the group -who were coming up from behind him- would react the same way he did because they too stopped in their tracks when they saw what was there in front of the kitchen door.

Standing a few feet away from them was Heracles. The depressed look on his face conveyed he felt utterly helpless and didn't know what to do. They were slightly surprised to see the Greek since it wasn't his shift today (Roderich and Adnan were ones in charge of kitchen-duty while it was Heracles' day off). But what REALLY surprised them was what Heracles was holding in his arms along with a bag he was carrying— a whimpering baby in a baby-cot.

The poor child looked like it had been crying his eyes out and now resorted to giving small soft sobs every now and then. Observing the baby from that distance, the group noticed the olive-skinned baby looked like a mini-version of Heracles' but had eyes like Adnan's.

Just when they were about to point out that detail, the Turk had stepped out of the changing-room (he went there since he needed to get his cellphone because he wanted to know where the heck Roderich was), wondering what the racket was all about. Unlike the others who had lost their tongue when they saw the vision infront of them, Adnan asked without any hint of apprehension, "Who is the kid?"

"His name... is Tahir Garsea... I'm sure you know Tahir means 'Pure'... In Cypriot, the name Garsea... means 'Brave in battle' and is also... an old Greek form of the Latin word cardio... meaning 'Heart'..." To the others, it clearly looked like Heracles was stalling as long as possible, not wanting to answer the Turk's question. But after that extra lengthy introduction, he finally said, "He... is... my son and he was left... outside my door."

* * *

Heracles was thankful it was the weekend, because it meant most of the students were in their rooms and weren't walking around. That morning, he was expecting to go buy some Orange Juice. He wasn't expecting to find a sleeping baby in a Baby-Carry-Cot. Not knowing what to do, he took the child into his dormroom along with the two bags which were next to it.

The Greek noticed he wasn't the only one who wasn't happy with finding the bundle of surprise: MisterMittens seemed bothered to find another tiny creature was encroaching in his territory but instead of doing anything, the cat having the same personality of it's owner, decided to laze around in it's corner.

Sensing there was no impending danger that was going to occur, Heracles rummaged through one of the bags to find some answers. As soon as he did that, the baby had stirred up from his sleep. With one look at Heracles who was obviously a stranger to it, he started to cry.

Heracles tried to put him in his arms to rock him slightly from side-to-side but that made the baby scream even louder. Unable to stop his tears and fearing that he might attract attention from the nearby university students, the Greek felt he needed to go to the source of his problem and clear things up. However, it seemed the Gods above had bigger plans in store for him, and Heracles couldn't find what he was looking for. In the end, with no other options at hand, he decided to go to his workplace, knowing he probably would be able to think clearly there.

The Greek had always claimed Feliks' cafe to be his safe haven and he had a firm belief that he wasn't wrong about that. This was because he knew that if any troubles had befallen upon him, his cafe co-workers would quickly line up to support and back him– like how one would do for a family member. But he didn't fool himself into thinking it would be smooth sailing since he was certain there would be one Turkish person who would be extremely reluctant to be understanding about the whole thing.

When Heracles had arrived to the cafe, he saw the group were giving the same look he must have worn in the morning, after he made the 'brief' introduction about the new arrival. The only person who wasn't surprised was Adnan— he was completely pale instead (a reaction which Heracles expected).

"Your son? Left outside your door?" Staring incredulously, Adnan couldn't stop the biting comments, "Did a stork deliver him to you?"

Heracles proceeded to place the baby-cot with the baby still in it, on the kitchen-table present while he placed the baby-bag on a nearby chair to later produce a letter from the bag's side pocket.

The rest of the group wanted to run and grab the letter because all of this was pretty interesting. Normally Heracles and Adnan kept a low profile at the cafe. Adnan –who was the louder one amongst the duo– would sometimes interact with his co-workers. Heracles on the hand, mostly kept to himself making it slightly difficult for them to read him. Hence, they never predicted they soon would be in the eye of the storm that was going to take place between the duo. Trying their best not to interfere in the Mediterranean couple's affair, they all remained in their places when they saw Adnan going towards Heracles to take the letter.

While this was going on, Orlando said in a low tone as he was observing the child without any change in expression on his face, "**_That little one looks absolutely adorable_**."

The Polish blond immediately retorted, "**_Now ain't the time for your lolita complex to come out, ya dig_**?"

Showing a slight look of annoyance, Orlando stated, "**_You are using lolita complex in the wrong context here- that child is a boy_**."

In return, Feliks raised his eyebrow while asking in a mocking tone, "**_Oh, so you're totally admitting that you are a lolicon_**?"

"**_Stop putting words in my mouth_**!" Orlando was quick to rebuff the other's statement and then added as a matter-of-fact, "**_I am a feminist who is fond of children_**."**

Feliks dead-panned, "**_That's what being a lolicon means_**..."

Ignoring the 'chaffing' that was going between the designers, Lovino leaned towards Arthur and whispered, "**_I thought Heracles is the Resident-Sex-God_**," when Arthur replied that info was true, the Italian questioned, "**_Then shouldn't he be familiar with something like Birth-control_**?"

"**_I remember long time back when he was once drunk, he admitted that he has lots of sex but rarely uses condoms_**," Arthur answered while clearing his throat as he stared at the still whimpering baby, "**_An oversight, is it not_**?"

Lovino snorted, "**_That is understatement of the year_**!"

* * *

Meantime Adnan was reading the letter which Heracles had given him while the Greek added some extra knowledge, "Tahir's mother is a young Cyprian restaurant waitresses named Ziynet Yilmaz. We dated for awhile."

Not lifting his eyes from the paper, Adnan inquired, "For how long?"

Feeling a bit uneasy by the lack of emotion in Adnan's voice, Heracles responded, "Three... months."

The Turk twitched a little when he heard that. Being in a relationship with Heracles which was now less than a week old, Adnan was well-informed of the other's dating history or lack of it (since none of the Greek's past relationship lasted for two weeks). He knew they would be some bumps in their journey together but when Heracles mentioned in his confession that give the Turk 'everything' he got, he was fairly certain a baby was not what he needed right now. Also in Heracles' case, going out with someone for a month seemed like a record. This was all the more shocking to the Turk because he never saw nor heard about this Ziynet person and now finding out that his present lover went out with someone else for a greater period of time than he did was slowly affecting his nerves.

As Adnan read the letter, he asked, "Is she back in your life?"

"No, I don't have any means to contact her. I tried her cell-phone number but it's disconnected," Heracles answered, still wary by the lack of visible response from the usually lively Turk, "I went to her flat and found out from the landlord that she had moved out recently but he had no idea where she is now."

In the letter, Ziynet stated she couldn't look after Tahir anymore because she wasn't financially stable plus with family issues, she felt the he would be better off with Heracles. Finally that said-letter was folded and given back to Heracles.

The Greek wanted to pull Adnan outside so that they could talk further in private but the other walked a few distance away from him. Adnan then spat out in a deriding tone, "HA, isn't this just peachy! Talk about divine retribution. All those times for sleeping around has finally come and bitten you in the ass!"

Even though Heracles was expecting some sort of backlash knowing Adnan had a flair for being dramatic -partly because the Turk was studying to be an actor-, it still hurt the Greek when he heard Adnan saying those things in a condescending manner. Trying to not to get upset, Heracles responded, albeit in a less calmly manner, "You cannot be angry with me for these turn of events. How was I suppose to know this would happen?"

Before any sort of argument could erupt between the Mediterranean couple, Matthew –who was standing with the other waitresses– intervened, "I'm sorry. I really don't mean to interrupt but that poor child has been whimpering ever since you came to the cafe." The violet-eyed man has always been weak to children's tears (this was one of the reasons why he was so attentive to his nephew). Hence he couldn't stand to see Tahir cry anymore.

Watching the child attentively, Feliks gave his insight, "Maybe he's hungry and wants some milk," and then wanted to look at Matthew to calm his employee's anxiety but because he was still suffering from a slight hangover, he instead gave a questioning gaze by mistake to the Quartet.

Noticing Feliks' gaze, Arthur inquired, "What the bloody hell are you looking at us for? Just because we are dressed as milkmaids, doesn't mean we got any milk with us."

Lovino raised his eyebrow and slightly elbowed the Brit's side, "Oie you b*stard! You're also forgetting to add we are all MEN and it's physically impossible for us to lactate."

"Pffft!" Yao tried his best to stifle his laughter as he continued, "Why would he add that, aru? He's the one who accepted his Inner Dra-"

"Don't you dare complete that sentence!" Arthur snarled and then started bickering with the other.

While a mini-quarrel was occurring with the Quartet, Heracles had tried to feed the baby formula to Tahir from the bottle he got from the bag. However the child refused the offering by moving his face away from the bottle-teat as far as possible. So, abandoning the bottle, the Greek proceeded to unclick the buckets from the baby-cot, to try and rock Tahir once more but again he failed to produce any results.

To the Turk, it was painfully obvious that Heracles was new to whole thing, after seeing the Greek falter in his efforts. Adnan, on other hand, having grown up in a household with cousins several years younger than him, he knew how to take care of children. Granted, Tahir isn't blood-related to Adnan but that didn't mean he didn't feel sorry for the kid. Finally, he moved towards Heracles and stated, "You aren't holding him right."

As soon as Tahir was cradled in Adnan's arms, Heracles saw the baby had immediately calmed down which also surprised the others who were wondering about the cause of the sudden disappearance of the background noise level. When the Greek saw how content Tahir was, he added, "I guess he doesn't like me."

Still feeling sore, Adnan responded, "He isn't the only one who doesn't like you right now."

Heracles rubbed his forehead, "Like I stated before– your anger towards me is not justifiable. I would never predicted something like this to happen to me."

"Of course, you didn't think things through. All you cared about was satisfying your own lust," Adnan replied sarcastically while slightly rocking the baby, "I sympathize with the fate of his poor mother. How much she must have gone through while you were just playing with her."

Honestly, Adnan couldn't care less about the woman- he was jealous, plain and simple. That was why he stated Heracles was satisfying his lust– he wanted to demean that relationship as much as possible. Not only was he irritated by the fact that his-now-present lover went out someone else for that long but the very notion that the Greek was able to foster a child out of that relationship, to Adnan, it meant that Heracles must have been either very in-tuned with the feelings of that woman; or he was just so nonchalant about it, that he didn't even bother to be careful enough to take precautions. Both options seem to piss Adnan off equally.

x

**A/N**: Tahir Garsea Yilmaz - Turkish Republic Northern Cyprus (the original author hasn't officially given him a name yet, so he was christened this name. Since Tahir in Turkish means 'Pure', Garsea/Garcia in Cypriot means 'Brave in Battle', the Turkish surname Yilmaz which means 'Unvanquished' was finally selected [basically if you put his whole name together, it means Tahir will be sticking around- atleast in canon, it seems that way for TRNC]. Instead of being an adolescent like in the comic strips, it was decided to make TRNC a five-month-old baby to fit into this story).

Heracles having a baby? In one of the comic strips, England & France tries to tell the other nations that Greece invented condoms- in the end, he admits to having lots of sex but then adds he doesn't use condoms at all (hence the whole thing backfires on England & France XD). So, this particular trait of Greece was used as a subplot here [one of the reasons why it was mentioned in the beginning that Heracles had many bed partners]

Ziynet Yılmaz - This character is an OC from Cyprus. Since Greece is the daddy here, it was decided she's a Turkish Cypriot, hence has a Turkish surname.

Starka, an old Polish dry vodka, is made from rye grain and then aged in oak barrels. It owes its specific taste and aroma to the apple-tree leaves and lime-tree leaves.

Orlando's retort is almost the same as Takechi Henpeita from Gintama ("Feminisutoda itengan tada kodomo sukino"**)- since both are accused of being lolicons, just couldn't resist putting it here ^0^

It's safe to assume that the general notion which the readers are having now is, "More drama with the GiriKey couple again_?_!": Well, this is Greece & Turkey, people! Their disputes will never end, considering the two parties involved always fight like cats & dogs- also, it doesn't help that TRNC looks like their lovechild in the Hetalia series X3

On a side-note, here is another Awesome cover by **KichiMiangra** which features the PruCan pairing

http:/ /www. kichimiangra. deviantart. com/art/Cafe-3-291469714


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